What Makes a Family
by Answerthecall
Summary: TFP. AU. Wheeljack's choice of lifestyle is put to the ultimate test after he crashes into the backyard of soon- to-be orphaned Jake Allan. Far from the base, without help, the two begin a journey that will change both of their lives, forever. CANCELED
1. A Chance Meeting

A more proper and full summary: Transformers: Prime AU. Loose Cannons never happened. After Wheeljack was attacked by Dreadwing, his damaged ship crashed into a farmland. Damaged, without a guidance system, or any means of communication with the others left, Wheeljack is helped by sixteen year old Jake Allan, whose Guardian owns the farm, but is dying of cancer. But when Dreadwing returns, and threatens Jake's life, Wheeljack has no choice but to drag him along as he seeks out Jasper, Nevada and the Autobots, for fear he will be hurt. As a bond forms between them, will Wheeljack be so willing to leave the planet, and Jake behind once again?

Pairings: Mentions of a former relationship between Wheeljack and his bonded. This is NOT a slash or WheeljackxOC story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as actual canon, only my OC, and any others that may appear. If you want to use one of my OCs for something, just PM me and I'll see if we can work something out. :) Don't take my OCs without permission though, thank you. :)

A/N: So this is my second try at a story in the "Prime" universe. Though my last one didn't go so well, I have a REALLY good feeling about this one. If I get any facts that are mentioned in the actual SHOW wrong, please feel free to tell me so I can correct them. :)

...

**CHAPTER 1  
A Chance Meeting**

Jake Allan had known that Tom Davis was dying long before that night. It had only been that night that it had truly hit him how sick his Legal Guardian was. Even as he sat on the roof of the farmhouse, his hands on his chin, the sixteen year old felt his stomach twist and turn. The doctor had come to him with the truth, given it to him straight, Tom wouldn't survive another week. The only man who had ever cared enough to give him a second glance at the orphanage eight years ago was going to be dead now.

Jake didn't want to go back to the orphanage, he had told himself time and time again how he didn't want to. There was no use for a sixteen year old orphan in anyone's home, let alone one who'd been left on the doorstep of an orphanage. It'd taken him eight years to get adopted once, and Jake didn't have another eight to wait for it to happen again. If he had ever been in need of a friend in the hellhole that was the small town he called home, it would have been that night.

Little did he know, fate was about to reward him with one.

The streak of fire that shot through the sky was hard to miss. At first, the young boy had thought that, perhaps, it had been a shooting star. That was, until said star flew right above his head. The fire from the ships engine illuminating his pale skin, his green eyes shot up in shock. If that weren't an alien spaceship, then he was most certainly losing his mind. He could hear the violent crash, it was sickening, a sound of metal crashing into the soft Earth.

A smart kid would have run away screaming, a smart kid might have ignored it. But when you lived in a town with a population of nine-hundred, you took what excitement you could get. Making his way off the roof carefully, Jake slowly crept around the side of the home, creeping forward. Many trees had been knocked over and Jake was certain he had seen what appeared to be a crater just up ahead. The young brunette looked thoughtfully in the distance for a moment, but slowly, crossed towards the crater.

Of course, Jake had been right, as he came upon a large spacecraft. One that was heavily damaged at that, he couldn't tell the color, the make, or anything. What he could make out, however, was the fact that a figure was climbing it's way out of it. The boy blinked slightly, not moving from his spot by choice, but by a trip. Before he knew it had happened, he was sliding on his back to the center of the crater. If he hadn't fallen however, what transpired next wouldn't have happened either. He could see the sharp shape of some part of the ship, he knew he was headed for it.

He never reached it before a hand had reached out and blocked him. Jake looked up, but couldn't believe what he was seeing, a giant robot, big, green, red, and white in color, with blue eyes brighter than he had ever seen. "Primus kid, are you okay?" Jake's response was caught in his throat "Hey, are you ALIVE?" He asked, Jake's response was a scream "Hey, HEY! Stop that, you'll compromise my positio-"

"What the HELL are you!" Jake shrieked, his heart beating at rapid pace.

"The mech who just saved your life." The robot stated flatly.

Jake blinked, and finally realized that the hand belonged to the robot, he really had just saved his life. Jake was almost tempted to freak out again, but understood the robot meant him no harm. "T-Thank you." Jake trembled a bit as he struggled to his feet "I guess I'm sorry of screaming then." He added.

"I frightened you, no reason to apologize." The Robot, who now that Jake had a good look, appeared damaged, replied "I just was worried someone else had crashed after me." He paused "Did you see anything else?" He questioned, tilting his head, Jake shook his head in response "Thank Primus, maybe I lost the fragger." He noted "Not gonna matter much with my systems down." He muttered to himself.

"Who are you anyway?"

The mech turned his head, knowing that he posed a new problem. Humans were not supposed to know about them, yet this young human did. Unfortunately, there was no taking it back, so he felt inclined to answer. "The name's Wheeljack. And to answer your previous question, I'm an Autobot." Jake made note of how little sense that still made "I guess you could say I'm an alien." He then added "And you are?" Inquisitively.

"J-Jake, Jake Allan." Jake replied.

"Well, Jake Allan, you'd be wise to forget-"

As Wheeljack made an attempt to stand, he felt weak at the knees. Slowly, moving onto one of them, and holding his wounded side. "Hey, are you okay?" Jake asked, quickly noting to himself how dumb a question it was "Jeez, is that blood?" Jake stepped forward.

"Don't come near it." Wheeljack warned "It'll burn through you with ease."

Jake immediately took a cautious step back, he looked at the wound slowly. "You know, my guardian... He has power tools." He paused a moment, looking up at Wheeljack "Don't suppose that's going to help alien machinery, is it?" He questioned.

Wheeljack stared at the boy quizzically, how in the world could this kid be that brave? Most would be running off, screaming bloody murder by now. Yet the boy simply wanted to help. Groaning a bit, he shifted into a seated position. "They might, why don't you go get them, and I can tell you." Wheeljack nodded, Jake simply nodded "Don't tell him about me though." He added.

"He wouldn't believe me if I did." Jake replied honestly.

Wheeljack watched the boy rush off, expecting him not to come back. The kid was probably just itching for a chance to escape him, he figured. Yet, ten minutes or so later, Jake had returned with what appeared to be three boxes of power tools. "I got EVERYTHING from the shed I could find." Jake shifted a little bit "I got the regular tools too, if the power tools won't work." He added.

"You're taking this pretty calm for a kid." Wheeljack added.

"You kidding? You're not trying to kill me, and this is the most excitement I've had in my life." Jake admitted, gaining a smirk from the mech "Not to mention making contact with a alien robot? Not many sixteen year olds can say they've done that." He then nodded "So, will any of these help?" He asked.

Wheeljack did a quick scan of the items in each container, frowning thoughtfully. "They will do, they are very... Outdated by my standards, but they will do." Wheeljack grabbed a small wrench calmly "It's days like these I wish I had a holoform." He muttered.

...

An hour later, Wheeljack had fixed his wounded body to the best of his ability. Jake hadn't left, but not because of the tools, but out of fascination. The wrecker worked with the tools so easily for a mech who had called them "Outdated". When Wheeljack had finished, he looked better, but still not one hundred percent yet. "That'll do." Wheeljack nodded, he stared at Jake slightly "Anywhere around here that I can hide out while I fully heal?" He questioned.

"We have a barn about the right size." Jake noted.

"Won't your guardian notice?"

Jake's eyes fell to the floor, he chewed his lip, and shook his head slowly. "Tom's too busy dying... He hardly leaves his bed." Wheeljack gave a small look of sympathy toward him "He'll never notice that you're here. And it's pretty close to the house, in case you needed my help or something." He chuckled nervously "Not that you WOULD need my help, I mean-" He began.

"I thank you for your kindness, Jake." Wheeljack nodded, and smiled "So long as my enemy doesn't locate me, living in your barn should be safe." He nodded, standing up slowly, he pressed a button on his arm, which cloaked the crater and ship "Lead the way?" He inquired.

Jake almost hesitated to do so, knowing that so many things could go wrong with this. Yet, Jake didn't have much to lose either, if his enemy did find him, and he died, he would not be losing much of anything. Not with Tom dying. Leading him towards the large barn, he slowly slid open the doors, nodding. "I hope you don't mind hay." Jake muttered.

"I'll put up with it." Wheeljack shrugged, he entered the barn slowly, having to crouch over a little "You're too gracious a host, kid." He added.

Jake blushed a little, rubbing the back of his head. Wheeljack already had a strong feeling that Jake was a very shy young boy. Wheeljack smirked, he would break him of that in his time in the barn. "Yeah, well... I was raised to treat people with respected." Jake admitted "And though this is EXTREMELY bizarre, doesn't hurt to be nice to an alien robot either." He added.

"Good set of values to be raised on." Wheeljack noted.

"I hope to take that with me to the grave." Jake nodded, he sighed a bit "So, this guy following you-"

"Don't worry about it, in my weakened state, I'm hard to track." Wheeljack stated as he sat in a corner "Besides, if he shows up, I'll know. I won't let harm come to you. I owe you that much for your help." He explained, Jake smiled, and nodded "I am very sorry for your Guardian, by the way. Now that I have the energy to give my sympathies." He added.

Jake looked at the floor of the barn, as if something caught his fancy. "He fostered and adopted me when he was eight-six... He's ninety-three now... I guess it's just his time." He admitted weakly, looking up at him "He's been fighting Cancer a long time." Though Wheeljack had to look it up, he nodded in understanding "Though I really wish it could end up differently." He added.

"I do too, it's not easy to lose a caretaker." Wheeljack frowned a bit, speaking from experience "But a kid as kind as you won't have a problem finding another, I'm sure." He added.

Jake gave a somber look at Wheeljack, who regretted the statement already. "Well, there aren't a lot of people looking for a sixteen year old." Jake admitted quietly, he looked at him "But thanks for the vote of confidence, Wheeljack." He explained.

"Please, call me 'Jack or Jackie. All my friends do."

"You consider me a friend?" Jake asked, surprised.

"Well, hey, you've been pretty good to me so far, and I kinda like ya." Wheeljack poked the boy in the chest gently "I think I can call you my friend, so long as you don't change attitudes on me." Jake grinned at that "But, even if he is dying, I bet Tom's worried, it is late." He noted "I'll be okay in here, Jake." He added.

"Alright, I'll come by in the morning." Jake grinned "Goodnight."

As Jake left, closing the barn doors behind him, Wheeljack smiled a bit. Few people he'd met on Cybertron had optimism like Jake seemed to have facing almost the same exact odds. Wheeljack had always warmed up easily to people, but Jake and him had really hit it off in a way that caught him off guard. Without a word, he silently nodded to himself. _Yeah, I can stay here a few days until I recover... No problem. _He thought to himself.

Little did he know just how much that one decision would effect him.

...

Jake entered the home once more, carefully kicking off his shoes. He cursed under his breath as he realized it was nearly one in the morning, and prayed that Tom hadn't noticed it as well. Jake's curfew was twelve, and if he was out much later, the old man became very stressed. Not to mention he had enough stress as-is. Carefully creeping up the stairs, he tried his best to silently pass Tom's room. "Jake?" Jake closed his eyes.

"Sorry Tom, didn't mean to wake you up." Jake poked his head through the door "I was just coming in, lost track of the time." He looked at the unnervingly thin and wrinkled man "Go back to sleep, okay?" He added.

"Careful next time." Tom told him weakly "Goodnight.. Sweet dreams... Love you." He added quietly.

"Love you too, Tom."

Jake was quiet as he entered his own room, collapsing on his bed. He half expected that when he woke up the next day, this would be a dream, that he'd still be on the roof, having fallen asleep up there again. Yet, at the same time, he had a strange feeling that tugged at him and told him this was only the beginning of something much bigger.

...

A/N: This has been a Plot Bunny eating at me forever. But I wanted to finish my Hawaii Five-0 story first. With two chapters of that left, I decided to go for it. So what do you guys think? Worth continuing? I have two more chapters completed, but I want to see the response to the first chapter before posting the other two. :)


	2. The Choice

**CHAPTER 2  
The Choice **

Tom only got worse from there, and even at sixteen, Jake could recognize that. Every day, he woke up to find his breath shortened, his heart beat decreasing, and his ability to speak lessening. Wheeljack himself, had stated that once, as they both slept, he had scanned the sleeping man. The mech told him the same thing the doctors had, to cherish his moments with Tom as much as he could, because the man would not be living much longer. Somehow, he believed Wheelajack's observation more.

Having Wheeljack around felt a lot like having an older brother around. A watchful eye, a very watchful eye taking into account that Wheeljack could pretty much see everything. He often asked Jake about Earth, what it was actually like, how the humans really lived. A lot of times he mostly asked about the farm, and its purpose, he wasn't entirely sure the mech understood exactly what he said, but he had tried. In return, Wheeljack told him a little about his own culture, their families, how their society worked.

To say Jake was stunned that a seemingly young mech like Wheeljack had five sparklings, or children, was an understatement. "Five kids?" Jake asked as they sat in the barn, talking about it "Damn, my parents couldn't even handle one." Wheeljack seemed to frown at that "I can't even imagine what it's like to even have a family that big." He added.

"Do you have no family through Tom?"

Jake turned his head, and shook it in response. "Tom's family is all dead, or doesn't speak to him anymore." Jake explained, he then added "Which is why I go into Foster Care or back to the orphanage when he eventually does die." Wheeljack nodded a bit "Didn't they have this on Cybertron. I mean you said you were abandoned too." He added.

Wheeljack shook his head a bit, there had never been Foster Care on Cybertron. If you were orphaned or abandoned, you were either adopted, or taken to a Youngling Ranch, where you'd be raised among others. The latter was a lot like an orphanage, and had been where he and Bulkhead had been raised. "I was raised in what you might call an orphanage, along with my best friend, Bulkhead." Wheeljack explained "It was either that or you got adopted right away. But I was never lucky." He added.

"You grew up without parents?" Jake asked, surprised.

"Yeah, my sometimes less-than-stellar attitude made a lot of parents shy away from me." Wheeljack looked at Jake, and shrugged "You could say that I was a very wild and rebellious youngling. Unfortunately, that didn't bode well for me." He shrugged a bit "You don't know how well you've had it the last eight years, kid, believe me." He added.

Jake nodded his head a bit, leaning back agains the hay, he crossed his arms across his chest. "I know, I just wish I could find a stable home, y'know? This was my sixth foster home I stayed at long-term." He was quiet for a moment "I really thought it'd be the last too." He explained, sitting up a bit, he looked at Wheeljack "I guess at least you're getting better." He added.

"Yeah, I should be able to leave tomorrow." Wheeljack nodded in agreement.

Jake frowned slightly, the very next day? Already? He looked away a bit, just when he had found the mech he was leaving. "Well, that's great." Jake faked a smile as best as he could "That means you can go and find your friends, right?" He then paused a bit "Just... Promise me you'll look me up sometime, visit maybe?" He asked innocently.

Wheeljack looked at Jake, he smiled a bit, he had the feeling that he would probably leave planet. But if he ever returned, perhaps he might, he probably would. After all, he had become fond of the young human. "Well I can't promise it will be in less than a few years." Wheeljack decided to tell him "But I'll definitely look you up, kid. I'm not about to forget my little human buddy." He added, rubbing Jake's cheek with a forefinger.

"I bet you'll have awesome stories to tell." Jake grinned a bit, Wheeljack grinned right back "From what you said, I don't think the life of a Wrecker could be boring." He added.

"It isn't." Wheeljack replied, he smirked "I'll even bring you back a few souvenirs if I can." He added.

Jake grinned a little, in a way, he had a feeling Wheeljack would probably forget about him. But it was still fun to think about, even so. Smiling a bit, he walked towards Wheeljack, and patted his leg a bit. "Thanks for the company, 'Jack." Jake stated quietly "Remember, don't forget about me." He added quietly "I need to go back to the house now..." He added.

"I won't, promise." Wheeljack nodded a bit "Go on, kid. I'll say goodbye in the morning." He smiled.

Jake smiled, inclining his head, and heading out the barn door slowly. Little did either know that the next day would bring a massive change to both of their lives.

...

Dreadwing watched the farmhouse from afar with silent scrutiny. He'd overheard that today was the day that Wheeljack was leaving the farm, despite still being wounded. He'd been watching him closely, he'd watched the boy too. The latter had his attention more, the thought of using a human to get to a Wrecker was not only priceless, but with the right training, he might make a cute little pet too. He watched the human closely as he exited his home. He could see the dried, and still wet tears that covered his face.

_The older one must have died. _Dreadwing smirked slowly _Perfect._

Moving soundlessly Dreadwing was upon his prey within moments. "Hello." Jake jumped, spinning around to find the gold and purple colored Decepticon slowly "You're Wheeljack's pal, arentcha?" Jake gulped, the red eyes already making him feel a great deal of fear "Jake, was it?" He asked.

Scrambling a bit, Jake turned to run, but was carefully picked up by the back of his shirt. Dreadwing dangled him by two talons, carefully, grinning a bit. "Now, now, no need to run. You wouldn't get far anyway." He stated as Jake began to kick and punch the air "Tell me what's your neck width? Or collar size?" Jake's eyes widened "I think you'd make a fine pet." He added mockingly "After all, once Wheeljack's out of the way, you're going to have no one left who'd-" He began.

"Let. Him. GO."

Dreadwing spun around, finding himself face-to-cannon with Wheeljack. The mech had his facemask on, but even so, the cross look in his optics said it all. "You really should be more careful, Jackie." Dreadwing mocked "First you fail to save Seaspray, and now you let your pet fall into Decepticon hands." He shook his head with a "Tsk Tsk" sound "How unprofessional." He added.

Bringing out one of his blades slowly, Wheeljack stared Dreadwing down, coldly. This mech had taken Seaspray, but he wasn't about to let him enslave his new friend on top of it. "First of all, Jake is NOT my pet, he's my friend." Wheeljack said, his voice void of emotion "And secondly, you have no right to even say Seaspray's name." He kept his cannon trained on Dreadwing "Now let Jake go, and I might just spare you despite how much I like to blow that smug grin of yours clean off." He added.

"Oh, and if I don't?" Dreadwing mocked.

He got his answer, a blast straight to his chestplate. Wheeljack rarely missed a target, this was no exception. He sliced his blade forward, and sliced the hand that held Jake, putting his sword back in his back compartment, he barrel rolled, catching Jake as he fell. Holding him close to his chest as Dreadwing fired at him Wheeljack placed Jake on the ground. "Jake, get cover!" He stated bluntly.

Jake didn't need to be told twice, getting to his feet, the boy ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Finding a tractor to hide behind he leaped over and behind it, it wasn't much, but it was a start. When the sounds of battle had finally cleared, and footsteps approached, Jake felt his muscles tighten, and fear settle in. "Jake, it's okay, it's me." Jake turned his head to Wheeljack "He hightailed it out after I clipped his wing." He added.

"I'm guessing that was the Decepticon you told me about?" Jake muttered.

"Yeah..." Wheeljack nodded "Are you hurt?" He asked, Jake shook his head in response "Did he hurt Tom?" He asked.

Jake shook his head a bit, standing up slightly, he moved around the tractor. "Tom's already dead." Jake's voice was low and quiet, pained, in fact, Wheeljack stared at him sympathetically "He must have died last night... In his sleep." He added, choked.

Wheeljack was quiet for a moment, he knew he had to leave, lest Dreadwing come back. Yet he couldn't leave Jake for that exact reason, Dreadwing _knew _he was there, he knew Wheeljack cared about him. He'd use him if he had the chance, and Wheeljack refused to let that happen. "I want to leave in thirty minutes, tops." Wheeljack told him "Is that enough time to pack and inform who you must of his passing?" He asked.

Jake fell silent for a moment, looking up at him. "What?" He asked.

"I'm leaving, and you're coming with me. Dreadwing will be back, and he will capture, and probably, hurt you." Wheeljack peered down at him "If I take you back to where I'm going with me. We can get you protection. But here, you're a sitting duck, as humans would say." He explained "So I want you to go, pack that which you cannot live without, call who you must. And meet me back here." He then added "I need to scour the internet for an alternate mode." He added.

"But..." Jake began.

"Jake, I know this is a lot to take in, I know this has been your home." Wheeljack noted "But believe me when i say, you'll be leaving here. And it won't be with this 'social services' of yours. It will be in Dreadwing's hands, or in mine." He looked at Jake, expectedly.

Though Jake was afraid, he trusted Wheeljack and that what he was saying was the truth. Jake nodded his head slowly, and turned towards the house. "I'll be ready in thirty minutes." Jake smiled a bit, actually finding himself to be happy "Somehow, I knew you wouldn't leave me alone." He added.

Somehow, as Jake, left, Wheeljack silently agreed, he wasn't sure he would have either.

...

A/N: I know I skipped ahead big time. Originally there was A LOT of time spent on the farm. But then it hit me... It would really JUST be a lot of chapters with the first half of this chapter happening. And I didn't want to bore readers to tears. LOL So, hopefully I established it well enough with this one. :)


	3. On The Road

A/N: Wow, thanks SO much for all the favorites/alerts/reviews this has already gotten! Glad every is enjoying it so much! :D

...

**CHAPTER 3  
On The Road**

Wheeljack's choice of a sports car as his alternate mode was not the most subtle, but it would do. All that mattered was that it was big enough to fit Jake inside, as well as his backpack of belongings. Wheeljack's holoform would make it easy to pass him off as Jake's Father. He was old enough to be that, and his holoform certainly showed it. Jake settled his backpack into the back seat of his form slowly, his body showing signs of distress. Wheeljack could tell this was hard for Jake, leaving the place that he'd for so long called home, leaving his Guardian's body there.

"'Jack?" Wheeljack shifted on his wheels in response "Who's going to take care of me?"

Wheeljack was silent for a moment, almost confused. "Don't worry about it, kid. We'll figure it out when we're in Nevada, okay? For now, you're under my protection and in my care." He activated his holoform, a tall, strong, well built, and brunette man in his forties, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders "It's going to be okay, Jake." He added, Jake tensed up "Kid, it's me." He added.

"How did you-?" Jake began.

"Holoform technology. Holograms made solid by nanobots. You know that thing I mentioned when we first met? I worked on creating once I knew I was going by vehicle, this was the result." Wheeljack explained "On the road, I'm your Father, Will." Jake nodded a bit, allowing the mech's comfort "I know this is hard, Jake. But I promise, you're going to be okay. My friends know some good people, I think." He added "One of them will take you in, if nothing else." He added.

Somehow, Jake doubted it highly, but he simply smiled and nodded. The passengers side door slid open for him, and he carefully climbed inside. Notably in a hurry, Wheeljack closed the door, and slid the seatbelt over Jake. His holoform appeared in the Driver's Seat quickly, and without another word, they were on the dirt road that led out of the farm. "What are we going to do about food and places to sleep?" Jake asked, confused.

"Jake, don't worry, I'm a smart mech, I know what I'm doing." Wheeljack turned his head with a wink "I raised five kids during an interstellar war, and while you require different nutrients. It shouldn't be much harder to keep you sustained." He sighed a bit "I want you to relax, sit back, and stop being so serious." He added with a nudge "Let me worry." He added.

Jake had a feeling that this was in no way up for argument. Exhausted from the long and upsetting day he'd had, Jake leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes, and slowly began a nap. The dream he had was unusual, but only because Tom was dead now. He dreamed of Tom being alive, the two of them in the fields, working. He'd gently tease or mess around with him, acting half his age in a way. Wheeljack was there too, somehow, Tom knew about him, they all hung around each other, messing around, having fun.

_One big happy family._ He thought to himself.

He was jarred from his dream by a nudge in his side, his eyes slowly lifted. The stars were up in the sky, indicating he had slept most of the day, as Wheeljack's holoform held out a cup of noodles. "I believe it's called Top Ramen." The mech nodded a bit "If you're hungry." He added.

Jake heard a violent growl erupt from his stomach, all the answer that was needed. "Starved, thanks." Jake took the cup and spoon, and began to dig in slowly, remaining quiet "How long was I out for?" He asked, curiously.

Wheeljack looked at the boy thoughtfully, then answered after a few moments. "A little over six hours." Wheeljack replied, then added "We're out of your home state, but we're still nowhere near Nevada." He paused for a moment "I know I had no time to tell you this, but I am _very_ sorry abut Tom." He stated quietly, Jake was silent "I'm even more sorry you were dragged into this mess." He added.

"He's in a better place now." Jake told him, but mostly was telling it to himself "And to tell you the truth, I'd wanted to join you anyway. It's better than staying at an empty farmhouse. All it'd do was make me miss Tom." He explained, feeling a little embarrassed to mention that "How many kids can say they ran away from Social Services with a giant alien robot?" He jested.

"I think you're the only one." Wheeljack smirked.

"Are we stopping at a motel tonight?" Jake questioned.

"Nah, there's nothing but road for miles. I'll stop at rest stop later, you can take the backseat." Wheeljack nodded, Jake smiled, and nodded back, knowing he had to take what he could get "It's spacious and roomy, you'll find it comfortable." He added "It's the best I can honestly do at the moment, and I apologize." He admitted.

Jake shook his head, seeing no need to apologize. "It's fine, 'Jack, I can sleep in a car." Jake replied, Wheeljack gave a sigh of relief "You know, if I didn't know you were a Dad already, I'd have guessed it now." Jake teased, Wheeljack smirked a bit "You treat me like I'm porcelin about to break." He added.

Wheeljack was quiet for a moment, he eyed Jake quietly. Hesitating to say what he was about to, but deciding to do so anyway. "You remind me of my youngest, to be honest. He'd be about your age in our terms now." Wheeljack was silent, but Jake already got the idea "Had the Decepticons not taken him from me." He added.

Jake frowned a bit, knowing full well what he meant. He wasn't sure how to respond, not knowing how hard it could be to lose a child. "Like actually TOOK him, or killed him?" Jake asked, curious, Wheeljack turned his head to the boy "Sorry, that was uncalled for, it's not my business." He added quietly.

Wheeljack was silent for a moment, continuing to drive. But he took a deep breath, and stared over at Jake again. "... Kidnapped him. They did so often during our war, they'd take sparklings, and you'd never see them again." He shook his head "It broke my bonded's spark, which is why she is no longer with me." Jake's eyes stared down at the floor of the alternate mode "You see why I protected you now?" He asked.

"You didn't want to see me abducted too." Jake nodded.

"Exactly, I've grown to care about you too much to let anything bad happen to you." Wheeljack placed a hand on Jake's shoulder, and gripped it firmly "As long as you're with me, Jake, nothing bad will happen to you. And I promise, where we're going..." He paused for a moment "We're going to find someone who _does_ want a sixteen year old." He added.

"Promise?" Jake asked.

"You have my word." Wheeljack nodded firmly.

Jake smiled a bit, somehow he really did trust Wheeljack's words, he'd never lied to him before, so why start now? The mech carefully kept his eyes on the road, even as Jake turned to him again. "I'm sorry about your son." Was all Jake could say as Wheeljack turned again to see him "I know that doesn't mean much... But, I really am." He added.

Wheeljack was silent for a moment, he took a deep breath. He shook his head a bit, and roughed up Jake's hair gently. "Don't be, that was a very long time ago. And though his loss still stings my spark... I don't want the pity." He explained "Just... Promise me you won't go risking your life if we end up in a bad situation, alright?" He asked politely "Loosing you would only make it worse." He added.

"On that, you have _my _word." Jake replied with a smile.

A yawn escaped his lips, quiet, but not quiet enough that Wheeljack didn't hear. "I have a blanket and pillow set up in the back. Got them at the same place I got the Ramen." Wheeljack told him, calmly "Why don't you climb back there and get some more sleep? You've had a long day." He suggested.

Jake nodded his head slowly, he climbed into the back slowly, finding a blanket and pillow, just as he had said. Jake smiled a bit, Wheeljack was a good guy, he had no doubt about that now. Slowly pulling the blanket over his body, laid down, and rested his head against the pillow. "Thanks Wheeljack." He whispered "You get some rest too, big guy, you deserve it." He said quietly.

Wheeljack silently drove on as Jake began to fall asleep. His mind strayed to the thoughts of his youngest son, and as always, he wondered where he was now, if he was even still alive. He'd like to believe if he was, he had switched sides during the war, and was now like Jake. He really did like to think that, but he knew it was probably not the case. With a small sigh, he pulled into the nearest rest stop, tuning to see Jake still fast asleep, his face peaceful. Wheeljack only smiled, and nodded his head.

"Pleasant dreams, kid." He muttered.

Allowing his holoform to imitate sleeping, he fell into a deep recharge himself.

...

"And the Autobot, PROTECTED the boy?" Megatron asked from atop his throne.

Dreadwing, who had recently reported to the Nemesis, sat in a bowed position before te Decepticon Leader. His head lifted up and he looked at him in the optics. "He was ready to kill me in order to protect him." Dreadwing explained, grinning a bit "Given the chance, I can take the boy. But on the word he is to be kept by me as a pet." He explained, Megatron tilted his head "I have far too much honor to see a child harmed." He added.

"And you are SURE that if we take him, he may be of use to us as leverage?"

Dreadwing simply nodded, his grin widening. "Positive." He added.

"Very well, Dreadwing. Bring me the human child, and you may have your pet." Megatron nodded slowly "But, if you fail to bring me the Autobot known as Wheeljack? It will be your termination, not his." He added.

Dreadwing only grinned in silent glee, he could, and would succeed. All he needed was the right moment, and the right advantage.


	4. Stopover

A/N: Changed the summary to something I found a bit better. Hope it doesn't confuse anyone. LOL But here's a heads up just in case it does.

...

**CHAPTER 4  
****Stopover**

Jake wasn't sure what he thought of stopping in a small town, in all it just seemed like a bad idea. They were only a state away from his home state, and the fact of the matter was that he was, in the eyes of most, a runaway. Yet Wheeljack insisted he get out for a few hours, if only to throw Dreadwing off their trail if he was following them. Yet, he knew he really didn't have a say in the matter, as Wheeljack happened to be the most stubborn person on the planet Earth.

The streets reminded him of the streets of the town in a movie he'd once seen, Footloose. In fact, the whole town reminded him of that, dirt roads, countryside, lots of homes. Jake had a feeling they really weren't far from his home state, as it seemed extremely similar in surroundings to his home. "Wheeljack, you do realize that if we're not far from my hometown, word or even an amber alert for me may be out." Jake stated, turning to the holoform "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked.

"Jake, just stick with the cover story, and we'll be fine." Wheeljack replied, taking a deep breath "I've checked the broadcasts, kid. There is no Amber Alert out, or at least not yet. We'll stay here one night, get a motel room for you. And leave in the morning." The mech turned to the boy calmly "Who knows, maybe you'll find something fun to do while you're here." He added.

"Like what?" Jake asked.

"Jake, I know you're worried, but I'll say it again. It's my job to worry, you just RELAX." Wheeljack said this gently, but seemed to be firm as well "If we run into any trouble, I'll figure something out, this is ME we're talking about." Jake smiled a bit, shaking his head "Promised you that I'd look out for you, after all, didn't I?" He asked, gently.

Jake nodded, knowing that was true, very true in fact. "Alright, alright. I get it 'Jack. Stop acting like my Dad and start acting like my fun older brother yourself." Wheeljack smirked at that as Jake nudged him a bit "Seriously man, I get you have to be the 'parent' on this trip, but don't get all uptight and nervous around me too." He then added "If I'm going to make this little "road trip" fun, you are too!" He added.

_"Stop acting like my Dad."_ Now there was one Wheeljack hadn't heard in many stellar cycles. Last time he had, it had been out of the mouth of his eldest son, which almost made Jake saying it awkward, almost. If it hadn't been for the fact Wheeljack had an almost Fatherly nature around most kids. It couldn't be helped either, after raising five kids that was just the way things were. "In my defense, I was a Father while your ancestors still walked the Earth, can't change what I'm like." Jake opened his mouth to speak "One snide comment and you're going to wish you hadn't." He added flatly.

"How old are you?" Jake chuckled.

"In your years? Forty-five, forty-six by now probably. In mine? Noneya."

"In other words, older than dirt."

Wheljack smirked, not about to let his young friend get away with that one. Reaching over, he gently tickled the boy's side, it worked like a charm, as he broke out into a torrent of laughter. "'J-Jack stop it!" Jake said through his laughter "Come on, man you know I'm ticklish!" He argued.

"Why do you think this is your punishment?" The mech smirked at him, and then added coyly "You think you want to take that back, youngling?" His voice was playful, fun.

Yep, if Jake hadn't already known Wheeljack had been a Father, he would have known now. Of course, he'd never lived with anyone as playful as his friend was, being Tom had been too old to jerk around a lot. But it still reminded him, off-handily, of how his friends and their parents often rough housed and messed around. "Alright, alright 'Jack, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He laughed "Make it stop!" He added.

Wheeljack let go of the boy, smirking a bit in triumph. Jake shook his head a bit, and leaned back against his seat, as he stared out the window. If anything, he had a feeling this trip was going to be nothing short of interesting. The growling of his stomach brought Jake from his thoughts. "Hey, can we stop for some food or something? I still haven't had breakfast." He added.

"I know, we're going to hit the town soon kid, just hang in there." Wheeljack nodded.

Jake sighed a bit, still not looking forward to staying in a town that could so easily realize who he was. If anything, he was most worried that people would mistake Wheeljack for a kidnapper or worse if they did. The mech was a good guy, and would never hurt him, but not everyone obviously knew it. It was to express that fear however, as the small town came into his line of vision. It was very small, to his surprise, it didn't look like it had a population about four hundred. Jake sighed in relief, there was no way anyone would have heard anything in that small of town.

"See, what did I tell you?" Wheeljack asked, as if knowing what he was thinking "I know what I'm doing."

"Shut it, or mute it. However you put it." Jake rolled his eyes.

Wheeljack simply smirked a bit, and drove into the town, hoping he was right about the town being safe.

...

They found a diner rather quickly, it was small, a little run-down, but as long as Jake got something to eat it didn't matter. Jake stared at Wheeljack slightly, and the mech knew what was coming next. "How are you paying anyway? for everything?" Jake titled his head a bit "I mean, you can't be-" He began.

"While you were packing, I went into your home, and collected enough money for us to get by." Jake frowned a bit at the answer, almost feeling that it was stealing "Jake, with Tom dead, it's technically your money. If it keeps you fed and taken care of, I don't think he'd mind that I took what we needed." He then added "I took enough that, if we spend wisely, it will get us through the month." He added.

"Is that how long this is going to take?" Jake asked.

"Roughly, by my estimates anyway." Wheeljack replied with an affirmative nod.

Jake only nodded, turning as a young woman approached their table, by her clothes, he guessed her to be their waitress. "Well, I haven't seen your faces around. So I take it you're new to Flatline." Jake only nodded at her "Well, allow me to be the first to extend my welcome to our little town. I'm Ali, and I'll be your waitress today." The blond girl smiled brightly "What can I get you two?" She asked.

"I'll have an orange juice and the pancakes, please." Jake nodded.

"Nothing for me." Wheeljack told her "I already ate, just getting the grub for my son."

Jake wasn't sure if he could ever get used to being called someone's son, even it was a cover story. Even with Tom, he didn't really see him as a "Son", more like a "Grandson". Jake had treated him like a Grandfather in return, which was admittedly why he called him "Tom". So the words, at least to Jake, were a bit foreign and unusual, at least when it was being directed at him. "Alright then, coming right up." Ali explained, writing down the order.

As the young woman left, Jake stole a glance at her, rather, her 'assets'. Wheeljack smirked a bit at him, the boy definitely needed to learn subtlety, big time. "Subtle, kid, real subtle." Jake shot him a look as Wheeljack chuckled slightly "That femme is about... Five years too old for you." Jake rolled his eyes "Hey, I'm just saving you the trouble." He added.

"You're a buzkill." Jake scoffed.

"I'm a realist." Wheeljack corrected.

"Did you teach your sparklings to be this snarky?" Jake teased.

Wheeljack shot Jake a look at that one, yet knew the answer was "yes", whether he liked it or not. "My sparklings are even worse, as my bonded was probably the most sarcastic person on Cybertron." Wheeljack smirked "Beware if you ever meed them, the chances of them being this patient with your sass? Are about slim and never gonna happen." He added.

"I'll keep that in mind, though I don't think I'll meet them." Jake replied shaking his head "I mean you're leaving the planet once you get the stuff to fix your ship, right?" He explained, Wheeljack frowned a bit "Hey don't frown at me, man. I get it, if I had the means to travel the galaxy, I would too." He explained as he stood up "I'll be right back, okay." He told him.

Wheeljack watched the boy leave, making sure he wasn't doing anything stupid. He frowned at himself for that one, Jake really was right, he seemed to be in a perpetual state of "Pappa Bear" mode. Even if he couldn't help that nature, as he'd always had it ever since his first sparkling was born he did have to tone it down, even if it was just a little. Ali returned with Jake's food before the boy returned, and said something that almost made Wheeljack cringe. "So, is your son, single?" She asked.

Wheeljack gave the woman a look, now that he had a good look, she was a lot older than Jake. Definitely not appropriate behavior for a woman her age to be asking, if anything. "My son is sixteen years old." Wheeljack told her, the woman looked surprised "So if you make an advance on him, you're likely to regret it." He added with a grunt.

As Ali walked away Wheeljack smirked a bit, sure, he had to tone it down a bit. Didn't mean he had to totally stop looking out for him though. No, it was far too much fun to stop doing that.


	5. A Long Night

**CHAPTER 5  
A Long Night**

Jake rested against the bed in the motel room, it wasn't soft, but it wasn't hard enough to be uncomfortable either. Wheeljack's holoform was simply examining his surroundings, giving Jake the feeling he'd never been inside a human dwelling like this before. In fact, Wheeljack hadn't, he'd only ever been in the Autobot's base and that was built mostly for others of his kind. The room was small, but cozy, more than enough for a peaceful night at least. Setting his backpack on the other side of the bed, Jake sighed quietly.

"I still cannot believe you told a smoking hot girl totally into me, my age." Jake turned to Wheeljack, unamused by Wheeljack's explanation earlier about why Ali avoided him "'Jack, I'm sixteen years old, I'm hormonal-" He began.

"Yeah, I get that, but she was too old to feel that way about you. Her bio scans showed her to be twenty-nine." Jake's jaw nearly dropped to the floor "Like it or not, Jake. I do look out for your best interests when I do things like that." He told him calmly.

Jake looked down a bit, he supposed he understood where he was coming from. Yet Jake felt bad that Wheeljack felt the need to protect him in such a way. Wheeljack already had his work cut out for him, taking care of him, and keeping them both off the grid. He wondered if he'd ever actually find someone willing to take care of him the same way Wheeljack was willing to. "'Jack, can I ask you a question?" The mech nodded at him "... Do you really think anyone's going to want me in Jasper?" He asked.

Wheeljack looked at the boy slowly, his holoform's brow furrowed slightly. He didn't like how doubtful of that Jake was, he really didn't like it at all. Jake was a good kid, who deserved a new home, and he had no doubt he'd find one. "Anyone who'd turn you down isn't worth your time." Wheeljack told him calmly "Age shouldn't matter Jake. You're a good kid, you're smart..." He then added "Slag, you have ME taking care of you, and I don't just warm up to everyone I meet." He admitted.

Jake nodded his head slowly, his mouth curving it a smile. Needless to say, Jake was definitely comforted by that. If only because if someone who didn't warm up easily liked him in that way, perhaps some other family might too. "Your kids are lucky, you know that?" Wheeljack tilted his head in confusion as Jake turned his head toward him "You always know the right thing to say." He explained a bit "Even if you are a hard-ass." He added.

Wheeljack smiled a bit, but shrugged at the same time, as if it was only partially true. "Well, they are lucky. But trust me, being my kid isn't entirely easy either. I'm just as muh of a hard aft as a Dad as I am a Wrecker." Wheeljack seated himself on the bed slightly, he turned to Jake "You're lucky that I'm only your surrogate older brother kid. I'm a lot easier on you then I'd be on _any_ of my kids." He admitted.

"Guess I'm lucky I'll never find out what that's like then, huh?" Jake asked.

Somehow those words didn't sit right with Wheeljack, in an odd way. The mech wasn't sure why, and thus simply wrote it off as him being his weird self again. "Yeah, I guess so. Trust me there are a lot easier homes for you to find that aren't with me." Jake smirked a bit, and nodded a little "Kid, you need to sleep, it's getting late." He explained.

"I'm not tired." Jake argued.

"It's nearly midnight, we leave early in the morning." Wheeljack looked at him with a hard look "This is the one moment that I WILL be a Father. Go. To. SLEEP."

Jake sighed, climbing under the covers slowly, resting his head against the pillow. He knew that wasn't a suggestion, Wheeljack's tone may as well have spelled out it was an order for him. "Alright, alright, pappa bear." Jake teased his friend gently, smiling up at him "I'm going to sleep, already." He added.

Wheeljack smirked a little, ruffling the boy's hair a little bit. He sighed a little, nodding his head at him. "Pleasant dreams kid, you just hollar if you're in need of anything." Wheeljack paused for a moment, and then added "And... I want you to know. Even if a lot of people who like to take care of a sixteen year old who's not theirs." The boy listened intently "You're worth it to me." He added.

Wheeljack took a deep breath, and sighed a little. Making his holoform appear outside of the motel room. He needed time to relax, a little time to himself, in fact, in general. For a moment, he wondered, if he left Jake now, in this town, would it be better for him? In a small town like this, so much smaller than his hometown in fact. There was the chance there was some childless family who would love to have Jake, a high possibility in fact. A part of him wanted to, even if it was risky.

But he couldn't, he realized, he physically couldn't allow himself to leave. Something about Jake, whatever it was, and for whatever the reason made him feel compelled to protect and look after him. He really cared about the boy, on a level he hadn't cared about anyone in a while. As odd as it was, as he'd only met him a week ago to the day, he couldn't leave him now. He found it his duty to make sure he found a family, to take him to Jasper to be safe. He shook his head a bit, if anything else, he'd _really _miss him if he left him at the motel.

_Don't get attached Wheeljack. _He thought to himself silently _You're leaving the planet, just like he said. And you won't see him for a long time after that._ His thoughts reminded him.

Yet deep down, he wasn't sure how true that was anymore.

...

Jake's night was already restless before the nightmares of Dreadwing filled his dreams. Normally, nightmares weren't bad enough to make him wake up. But that night, he shot up in the bed, covered in sweat. He wiped his brow slightly, and took deep breaths. The room was empty, and Jake knew that Wheeljack was most likely in recharge. Taking a deep breath, he shifted himself from the bed, and entered the bathroom, turning on the water and splashing his face slightly. As cliche as it may have been, warm water often calmed him.

Looking into the mirror slightly, he looked at himself. His dead eyes stared at him, and spoke volumes even to himself. Jake was worried, even if Wheeljack didn't want him to be. He was worried that no one would want him in Jasper, and this journey would do nothing. He was worried that Wheeljack would leave the planet, and him behind, leaving him alone yet again. He found it odd, when he thought of being alone, he didn't think about not finding parents. He didn't think about the orphanage. He thought about the day that Wheeljack left Earth once again.

"Jake?" Jake nearly jumped out of his skin as Wheeljack appeared in the doorway "You okay?" He asked politely.

"Yeah, just had a nightmare." Jake shrugged slightly "Warm water tends to calm me down." He explained as he turned off the faucet.

Wheeljack looked at the boy calmly, allowing a small smile to cross his lips. "Need to talk about it?" Jake only shook his head "Figured as much, but I thought I'd offer anyway." He explained with a shrug "If you want, we can just hit the road. I'm having trouble sleeping too." He added.

Jake turned his head to Wheeljack, but shook his head. He wasn't going to let this get to him, definitely not. Jake was stronger than this, he was not some kid that needed the pity that he was being given. He wouldn't let his fear ruin a good night's sleep in a bed. "I'm okay, 'Jack. I'm just... Nothing." Jake chuckled a bit, looking the mech in his holoform's eyes "Other than being silly, anyway." He admitted.

As Jake made his way past him, Wheeljack watched the boy climb back into bed silently. He knew something was wrong, but was uncertain how to approach him about it. Sighing a bit, he made his way over, and pulled the covers further over Jake slightly. "Don't want you to get cold." Wheeljack told him, politely "Goodnight." he added.

As Wheeljack left, it was all Jake could do not to wonder if he was thinking the same thing he was. If Wheeljack thought he was worth it, if he was willing to take care of him, and help him out. If he didn't care that Jake was sixteen and not some little kid that defined "cute". And most of all, if he already was a Father, and a good one at that... Why couldn't Wheeljack just take him in? Jake shook it off silently, it was a dumb thought. Wheeljack was a giant robot, a totally different species entirely. Not to mention he had places to be, stars to travel to.

Jake snuggled deep under the covers as he thought it over in his head. Wheeljack would never give up that kind of adventure for some human kid on Earth. Jake wouldn't even do it for him if it were him. In his mind, he just wasn't worth giving any of that up. Wheeljack had been a Father for a long time as far as he knew and he wouldn't want to add more time to that for him. Not some kid he had crashed into the backyard of.

As Jake fell asleep with those thoughts within his head, Wheeljack watched him quietly. His thoughts trailed off quietly, thinking of somewhat of the same thing, almost. Yet he wrote it off as well, for now, taking care of Jake was a mission, one he intended to fufill. He didn't even know the boy well, he didn't know if... Wheeljack sighed, and wrote the thoughts off, Jake wouldn't even want that. Who'd want an alien of another species with his own problems under his belt as a Father. Jake needed better than that.

Perhaps, had they spoke their concerns, they may have found out differently. Yet that night, the two chose to be stubborn, whether they liked it or not. For now these thoughts remained in their own heads.


	6. Breaking The Ice

A/N: Random title change FTW. LOL This was originally the name of the story, "What Makes a Family" but I changed my mind last minute, and now changed it back. So yes, it's the same story, I just decided I liked this name better. Lulz

...

**CHAPTER 6  
Breaking The Ice**

Jake wasn't thrilled, at all, when an odd energy signature nearby forced them to stay. He wanted out of the small town before word somehow hit them, but of course, safety came first, it always did. Small town hell, population four hundred though? And Jake had thought his hometown was boring! He'd found a lake while Wheeljack was out scouting, really, he wasn't supposed to leave the motel room. But there was only so much time he could spend staring at a blank wall or watching the five channels of TV they got. It wasn't far from the motel room, and if Wheeljack really wanted to bust his balls for being late, he now had his cell phone number to do so at any time.

Collecting a handful of rocks, he gently skipped them across the water. It was something the teenager hadn't done in years, but still found calming and fun, much more than he had expected to. Yet he reminded himself to keep both eyes open and alert. If he had learned anything from his encounter with Dreadwing, it was to be weary of anything even a little out of the ordinary.

He also took the time to think about the same thing he had thought about previously. Wheeljack's fatherly nature towards him still almost bothered him, almost. It wouldn't have so much if he wasn't starting to see him as a Father figure. Something he knew the mech could never, and would never be. "You don't take orders well, do you?" Jake turned his head as Wheeljack, in full Autobot form moved out of the trees "Had me worried, kid." He added.

Jake shifted a bit on the moist grass he was seated on, but only shrugged in response. Taking a deep breath, Wheeljack stepped forward, seating himself down as well. "Alright, I've known you long enough to know that face." Jake turned his head towards the mech slowly "Is everything okay, kid? You're quiet, and you're NEVER quiet." He added.

Jake took a deep breath, if he was even going to talk about it... He had to be subtle, as subtle as possible for that matter. "Nothing, just a little tired, I guess." Jake lied as best he could "Hey 'Jack?" The mech tilted his head a bit "I know this is going to sound like an odd question. But... Have you ever, you know..." He paused "Thought of having other kids?" He asked.

Wheeljack turned his head to Jake as if he had just punched him in the gut. It wasn't that it was rude to ask, more like, awkward. Bizarre in a way, in fact, it had never come up in conversation before. "Well... I told you, my bonded passed onto the Allspark long ago." Wheeljack told him quietly, he looked at Jake "Much like humans it does take two to make a sparkling." He explained.

Apparently, subtle didn't work with Wheeljack, as Jake noted that he hadn't caught on at all. "Yeah, I guess I should have figured." Jake shook his head a bit, trying to make it seem as if he had meant that "I just thought being robots and all..." Jake chuckled a bit, Wheeljack's confusion couldn't be more evident "Uhh, maybe we should head back to the-" He began.

Wheeljack interrupted him before Jake could finish. "You're talking about adoption, aren't you?" Jake looked surprised, but nodded his head a bit "During my days as a Wrecker, which DID come after most of my kids were grown mechs and... You know." He paused for a moment "I didn't have time to consider that, but I wouldn't have minded it." He admitted, he looked at Jake "Why are you asking, Jake?" He asked.

"It's... Nothing, just curious is all." Jake replied.

Jake stood, really wanting to walk away in embarrassment, yet Wheeljack blocked his path with a hand. Jake stared up as the mech looked at him calmly. "You're asking because you wonder if I'd ever adopt _you_, aren't you?" Jake closed his eyes a bit, but finally nodded "Jake... You're a great kid, don't get me wrong. But you're a human, and I'm not. You need a human family, not the life that I have." The boy peered at the ground "I do care about you, Jake. And-" He began.

"Don't." Jake held up a hand "I get it, it was a stupid thought, I just..." He shook his head a little "I don't know."

Jake moved around the hand, and walked away before Wheeljack could stop him. The mech groaned, that had been even harder then he had thought it would be. He'd known that it might happen sometime, and he knew that was the right thing to do... But he hadn't meant to hurt him, and he had the odd feeling that he had just done so. Then again, at the same time, there was no way to tell someone you couldn't adopt them into your family without causing some level of pain.

He'd made up his mind when he'd chosen to take Jake along that he wouldn't bring him into this war like that. He had lost his Guardian, his only family, but Wheeljack was far from the perfect replacement. Yet, that didn't mean Jake couldn't be a part of his family, however honorary it may be. Sighing and moving towards the area Jake had moved to to distance himself, he sighed a bit. "You didn't let me finish." Jake turned his head towards the mech slowly "I can't adopt you Jake... It wouldn't be right.." He paused.

"You went over that already." Jake replied.

"But that doesn't mean you can't have a place in my family." Wheeljack crouched a bit, inclining his head towards the boy slowly "You could always continue to be like my little-" Wheeljack began.

"No, it's... You wouldn't understand, 'Jack. I'm not sure even I understand." Jake admitted, he looked up at the mech "I've been given this speech before. And every time I get it? It never works out." Wheeljack reeled back "Maybe you're right and we're better off friends. But I don't want this speech again like I got almost every year until I was eight." He added.

Wheeljack understood what he meant completely. Jake wanted commitment, stability, someone who wanted to be his family and not just be "like" family. The mech took a deep, inward breath, his processor thinking it over. "Jake... Allow me to think about this, and I mean _really _think about this." Jake stared at Wheeljack in surprise "You're asking me to make a huge change in my life almost out of the blue. And if I want to keep you... Heck I don't even know if it would be accepted." He explained.

"What are you trying to say?" Jake asked.

Wheeljack sighed a bit, his optics peering at the boy slightly. "That... I do want to take you in, Jake. I've known that after the first few days since we met." Wheeljack explained "But I _really _need to think this over. I've been traveling the stars for a long time now kid. Settling down on one planet..." He shook his head "It's a new thought." He explained "Not really my style, but not something I'd be entirely opposed to." He added.

"Which in English means?" Jake asked, his armed crossed slightly.

Wheeljack frowned a bit, he looked down, but as he looked back at Jake, he smiled a bit. "It means, that I have to think about how I can make this work. It won't be easy, in fact, it'll be harder than pit." He then added slowly "But I'll think about it, Jake. And not in a "Yeah, yeah get out of my face" way either." He added "You just need to give me time to decide if I'm ready to be a parent again." He explained.

Jake looked at Wheeljack, and saw nothing but sincerity in the mech's optics. Though he knew that it wasn't a "yes" the fact that Wheeljack had even agreed to just think about it, even think about it, meant a lot. "You mean you'd actually consider it?" Jake asked, Wheeljack only nodded "Alright, I can take a maybe." He stated quietly.

"Then smile, already." Wheeljack tapped his cheek with a knuckle "Kid, even if it doesn't work out that way, you're gonna be okay. And I'm really tired of the angst from BOTH of us." He shook his head a bit, standing a bit, he crossed his arms "We need to leave soon, for that matter." He added.

"Why?" Jake questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Because we're being followed." Wheeljack replied, not beating around the bush "I don't know who, but someone came by the motel looking for us." He paused a bit "In a way, you're lucky that you left, there's a chance we've been tapped." He then nodded a bit "You're actually safer here then you were back there." He explained, looking off.

"Can we go back to the motel? I mean is it-?" Jake began.

"Your things are in my subspace compartment." Wheeljack replied, his optics peering around "We should honestly leave from here. Chances are they're still searching the town, but we're far enough out now that well..."

"It'll take them a while to notice."

Wheeljack nodded, transforming down into his vehicle mode calmly, the passenger door yet again slid open. Sighing quietly, Jake climbed in, buckling himself in, and leaning back. Somehow, with the ice broken, he had a feeling this whole journey was going to be much easier. Or a whole lot more awkward, and in a way, he almost wanted to lean towards the latter option.

...

A/N: Ah, how I could make this growing Father/Son relationship easy for these two. But where's the fun in that? Wouldn't be Prime Wheeljack without his commitment issues, now would it? LOL Reviews make my day!


	7. Scouts

**CHAPTER 7  
Scouts**

Wheeljack was glad when Jake fell asleep that night. Not because he didn't want to talk about him, but mostly because it gave him time to think. He couldn't believe Jake had thrown something like this on him, it wasn't a bad thing, not at all. But it did complicate things for him, big time. If he took Jake in, and he was seriously considering it, that would mean he was not leaving Earth. He couldn't take Jake off-planet, not everywhere he'd go would have oxygen, and it was very dangerous. He'd be on Earth, to stay for that matter.

Yet somehow, in some ways, he didn't find the idea too bad. He could return to being around Bulkhead, his best friend. He could get back in the game of the war, something he'd admittedly missed a great deal. Taking Jake didn't sound too bad either, that's another thing he had to admit he _did_ miss. He missed being a Dad, in a way, a lot of ways actually. At this point he imagine he'd be training his youngest, but that had obviously never happened. He couldn't really train Jake, but he could teach him a lot of things, he could help him.

And one thing was for sure, if the government allowed him to keep Jake he would gladly take a sixteen year old. Yet he faced problems in taking Jake into his home, his spark, and his family. Namely, every Deepticon he had pissed off, and Primus knew there were a lot of them, would see him as a means to get to him. He was a human, easily abducted, easily used. Wheeljack shut his holoform's eyes slightly, he didn't want that to happen to Jake. Yet, the Autobots on Earth had a whole team, he wouldn't be protecting him alone.

Leaning his holoform's head against the steering wheel, he took a deep breath. "'Jack?" The holoform turned his head slowly at Jake, who looked up at him "You okay? I can practically feel your tension in the seats, man." He added.

"Sorry Jake, didn't mean to wake you up." Wheeljack shifted a little in his seat, calming his real form's body down "I'm just deep in thought, and sometimes... Well, I get tense, not really anyone's fault. Old habits just die hard." He explained "I guess I'm also a little tense since we're being followed... Makes me worried." He admitted quietly.

"Why? I'm sure you can kick their asses." Jake shrugged.

"Because I've got you with me, and I don't want them hurting you." Wheeljack said, bluntly "Why do you think I haven't stopped for the last eight hours?" Jake fell silent for a moment "I mean you can't blame me, can you? After all we talked about today?" Jake nodded in agreement "I think it goes without saying that increased my need to protect you ten-fold." He admitted.

"I don't blame you, I mean, you did kinda admit you feel the same way toward me." Jake told him, honestly, Wheeljack was silent at that, but knew it was true "That is what you meant, right?" He questioned.

Wheeljack continued his silence at this point, unsure of what to say. Wheeljack turned towards Jake and smiled a bit, nodding a little. "No use hiding it after that I suppose. I feel the same level of care for you as I did my children." The mech shrugged a bit, then added "But I haven't made a decision yet. Going to have to give me more time than that." The boy nodded, understanding "Doesn't mean I don't see you as a... What would you call it? "Surrogate" son?" He asked.

Jake nodded, going by what Wheeljack was saying, he figured that was a good assessment. "I can go for that." Jake said quietly, Wheeljack smiled, relieved by it "I didn't expect you to decide yet, anyway. You don't strike me as the 'spur of the moment' type of guy." He added.

"Not unless I'm in battle." Wheeljack nodded, then sighed a bit "Jake, you need to sleep, alright? It's only two in the morning, and I don't want you unrested in case scrap goes down." He explained, then added "If I get into a fight with whoever's following us, you're going to have to run, fast." He added "So, sleep, now. I'll wake you up if and when I need you." He added.

"Sir yes sir." Jake chuckled as he laid his head down against the pillow again "And 'Jack." Wheeljack tilted his head "Thanks for giving me a chance... I know you haven't said "yes", but... Most wouldn't even say "maybe"." He explained, Wheeljack stared at him "It really mens a lot." He added.

Wheeljack looked down upon Jake a bit, unsure how to respond to that, really unsure. Was it really that hard to find homes for the older of Jake's species? The mech sighed, but he did smile, running a hand through the boy's hair. "Yeah, well, you're definitely worth the consideration." Wheeljack explained "Whether you believe it or not." He then added quietly "Sleep well, kiddo."

Jake only smiled a bit, happy for the first time since Tom had died. Sure, it still wasn't a yes, and a yes may not come for a long time. But he wasn't alone anymore, he had Wheeljack. Even if it was for this journey, he would take it. He just wanted to belong, it was all he wanted, and Wheeljack was probably his best option. Whether the mech realized it yet, or not. Wheeljack only smiled a bit, honestly, he felt better after agreeing to that himself. In some odd way, he did want this, he wanted to take Jake.

The problem was, he continued to be in denial of it. And until he accepted how much he needed Jake as much as Jake needed him, things would only become more complicated, and especially, more difficult.

...

They stopped the next morning in order for Jake to get changed, and Wheeljack to take a rest. Luckily, they had stopped by another lake, and thus, Jake took the time to wash off as well. Of course, Wheeljack allowed him his privacy for that, though he kept his scans on high alert to compensate for it. Pulling on some simple clothes as he climbed out of the lake, he sighed a bit. "Alright 'Jack! Coast is clear." He noted, a moment later the car had moved from his hiding place "Any sign of our tail?" He asked.

"Thankfully, the energy signature is not within range." Jake nodded, thankful of that himself "We can probably chill here for a while." His holoform tossed another cup of Top Ramen his way "Got some while on the road last night, hope you don't mind it again." He explained, Jake shook his head, not minding at all as he also caught the plastic spoon he seated himself, eating it slowly "Jake..." He suddenly stated out of nowhere.

Jake turned his head as he finished the ramen, but then turned. Immediately, he could tell that their tails had arrived. Three cars, purple and black in color, oddly built, with the same symbols that Dreadwing wore seemed t park at the edge of the wooded area near the lake. "Wheeljack, what are those?" He asked, a lump forming in his throat.

"Vehicons. Drones." Wheeljack transformed in an instant, bringing out one of his blades "Stay here, don't move an inch."

"How much can a _drone _do?" Jake asked, surprised.

"A lot more than you would think."

Jake thought for a moment that Wheeljack was making a joke, until the three cars transformed. At once all three activated arm mounted cannons, their singular optics looking at Wheeljack. "If Dreadwing wanted to finish the job, he really shouldn't send a couple of drones." Wheeljack mocked them, keeping his leg close to Jake as a shield "Why don't you just do yourselves a favor and leave peacefully, no one has to get hurt." He added.

His offer of peace was meant by a blaze of blaster fire, but Jake was more amazed by what happened next. Never having actually seen Wheeljack in combat, the sight sent him into awe. With a kick off, he leapt into the air, thrusting his blade upward, he brought one down into the nearest drone's head, impaling it easily. It was down within seconds, his second blade connected with one of their throats, impaling him to a tree. Jake, enthralled in the amazement of seeing this didn't even notice as a fourth broke through the trees beside him until he had been snatched up with a yelp of shock.

The fourth vehicon hadn't even gotten the chance to comm in a groundbridge. With a swing, Wheeljack had thrust his other blade, hitting it between the eyes, and sending him toppling over. When Jake had regained his balance, he had realized there hadn't been four, but six drones in all. "Whoah." Was about all that came out of his mouth before he looked up at the mech once again "How?" He added.

"We Wreckers are trained to kick drone aft in our sleep." Wheeljack retrieved his blade from the Vehicon who had grabbed Jake "They aren't the brightest of Cybertronians, after all." He explained.

"So we got rid of our tail then?" Jake asked.

"Hardly." Wheeljack shook his head a bit "They were sent to test us. If they hadn't been, they'd have you back at their ship right now. I'd say these were scouts." He explained, his optics scanning the surrounding area "Sent way ahead at that." He explained.

"So they're after me?" Jake asked, frowning a little.

"Regrettably, I would say so, that fragger Dreadwing made contact with Megatron." Wheeljack growled a bit, he turned his head to Jake, who looked pale just thinking about it "Don't worry, they obviously underestimate my abilities, they won't stand a CHANCE at taking you." He sighed a bit, looking back towards where the Vehicons had come "But we need to lay low for a while." He added.

"How the heck can you possibly lay low?" Jake asked, confusion present in his voice.

"I'll have to go off the grid until we reach Jasper." Wheeljack explained "It'll make it harder for the others to know I'm coming. But at this point, it's the only way they won't hone in on my energy signature." He carefully made the necessary adjustments on an arm panel "Done." Jake was amazed at how quick it had taken to mask the energy signature "Come on, we need to move on, quickly." He added.

"I thought-"

"We'll stop somewhere else, if we stay here, more will definitely come." Wheeljack explained.

Jake nodded, taking a deep breath, he looked back to where they appeared as well. He couldn't help but feel nervous about the fact they were after him, and he knew why. Wheeljack had made it clear, very clear, that he'd do a lot to keep him safe. If the Decepticons got a hold of him, there was no telling what the Wrecker would do...

And Jake knew _that _was exactly what they were counting on.

...

A/N: Wasn't planning to have them figure out why they were being tailed yet. But then I realized I needed to spice things up even a little. :) Reviews make my day!


	8. Frustrations

A/N: Gah, final summary change, I swear! LOL I just feel like the more I write this story, the more I realize Wheeljack should be highlighted as the main 'lead' in the summary. LOL I think I'm FINALLY satisfied with the summary though. Third time's the charm. Lulz I can be so indecisive sometimes.

...

**CHAPTER 8  
Frustrations**

"But I've never actually FOUGHT before."

"Jake, I'm going to put it this way. If you _really _want me to eventually adopt you. You need to learn to fight back."

Jake sighed as he and Wheeljack's holoform stood in the middle of a small wooded area. He really didn't like fighting, it just wasn't his thing. But Wheeljack made a fair point, as he'd quickly learned the life of a wrecker was very dangerous. And there was a chance that at some point the ability to fight, or at least, fight as best he could, would come in handy. "Did you train _all _your kids?" Jake asked nervously.

"Jake, I was an engineer before I became a Wrecker." Wheeljack explained "As I've explained, I became a Wrecker after they were all fully grown mechs. I could train them to fight growing up about as well as YOU could." Jake frowned a bit, but the mech only chuckled a bit "No offense meant, youngling, I simply am trying to explain." He then added "Don't be scared to fight me either, I won't hurt you." He explained.

"You won't hurt me or you won't _try_ to hurt me?"

"Stop being a smart aft, this is important to me, Jake. We can't keep getting by on getting lucky." Jake understood where Wheeljack was coming from there "The day might come where a Deepticon grabs you. And I won't be there in time to protect you." He explained, then shook his head "And while it might seem silly to teach you to fight when you'll be facing giant robots. You never know how much this will come in handy." The boy chewed his lip nervously, but nodded "Now take a deep breath." He added.

Jake took that as not being a figure of speech, and did as he was told. Oddly, it relaxed him more than he thought it would. "So you seriously want me to just come at you?" Jake looked at the mech slowly, he only nodded a bit "Why do I get the feeling that going at something made of nanobots-" He began to try and make excuses.

"Jacob Oliver Allan."

"How the hell do you know my full name?" Jake crossed his arms.

"I'm a giant robot, I can hack into records, did that after we met." Jake raised an eyebrow at that "But that is beside the point! Stop making excuses and just come at me. I can assure you, you won't be hurt in any way, shape, or form." He added simply.

Jake almost wanted to call Wheeljack out on that. Not only was it an invasion of privacy, but the use of his full name had been more than awkward to hear from him. Jake hesitated for a moment, but finally gave in and bolted for Wheeljack. Blindly throwing a fist, all he hit was air as Wheeljack caught his wirst mid-air. "Look at your enemy, you're not me kid, if you go in blind you're screwed." Wheeljack explained.

Jake responded by a surprise punch to Wheeljack's gut. Wheeljack smirked, the kid was a smart one, that was for sure. "Now that, actually might be a good tactic, false security and a real attack, very good." Jake didn't have the heart to tell him he hadn't actually planned that "But, you need to move your hand, lest you become open for..."

Jake found out what he was open for quickly as Wheeljack gently grabbed his other fist. He pushed him to the ground easily, not wanting to hurt Jake in any way, but still needing to prove the point. "That is what we call pinning. And even if it's done by a holoform, it will hurt like a fragger if a Decepticon does it." Wheeljack helped the boy to his feet "You need to be more careful than that." He added.

"I told you I'd never fought before." Jake grumbled, frustrated with himself.

"I know, hence why I'm taking it easy on you, kid." Wheeljack put a hand on his shoulder "Nobody does well during their first go-around, not even me." He grinned a bit "Come on, bud, give it another try." He added.

Jake grimaced a bit, almost wanting to say "no" but decided against it. For the next several hours, he pretty much had his butt handed to him on a golden platter, nto even silver, that would be an understatement. By the end of the day, nearly every inch of his body was sore, but he was lucky that they hadn't gone too rough. If he had bruises he could just imagine with their 'cover' that at some point the mech may be called out on "child abuse". "Well I think it's official." Jake muttered, leaning against the grass "I am definitely NOT destined to be an ultimate fighter."

Wheeljack chuckled a little bit at that, shaking his head. "Nah, I don't think so either. But give it a few sessions, you'll get better." Jake shot Wheeljack a look, to which the mech simply smirked "After a long break." Jake seemed to sigh in relief at that "You did good for a first time though, kid." Jake looked at him "Trust me I've seen a lot worse people try to do the same thing." He added.

"You're lying to make me feel better, I was horrible." Jake muttered.

Wheeljack shrugged innocently, but Jake knew he was right, he didn't need confirmation to figure that out. Sitting up slowly, Jake stood to his feet, looking at Wheeljack slowly. "So, where's our next stop, 'Jack?" He asked stretching out his sore muscles "We have to be getting closer to the base at this point, right?" he questioned.

"The scouts a few days ago threw us off a bit." Wheeljack shook his head "I think we're still around what you humans call Michigan." He added.

Jake frowned, they really hadn't covered much ground at all, considering they'd left from Pennsylvania. "We really need to cover more ground." Jake muttered "At this rate, we might start hitting cities. And they? Definitely would have Amber Alerts out." He chewed his lip "Either that or we need to stick to traveling where we only pass through the smallest towns possible." He explained.

"I'm aware of that." Wheeljack nodded a bit, he looked at Jake slowly "Unfortunately, I can't exactly get you off the grid in the same way I do myself." He explained.

"But you can hack." Jake titled his head.

"If I attempt to hack, I could give myself away." Wheeljack explained, he leaned forward a bit "We simply need to be weary of who sees us from here on out. Like you said, we're sticking to roads that take us only into small towns." He paused for a moment "If we get lucky we'll take so much time to get there that my comm systems will reboot themselves and I can get a ground bridge." He added.

"What's that?" Jake questioned.

"Think of it like a portal, used for what you'd call teleportation." Wheeljack explained.

_God, I really am living in a real life sci-fi movie._ Jake thought to himself.

"Is there no one you know on Earth that you know that could-"

"I've only been here once kid, for barely a day." Wheeljack sighed inwardly "If I had anyone who could help us, I would have called them up a week ago." He grunted.

Jake finally understood, this was why Wheeljack was so worried. He had no way of contacting the other Autobots, nor any friends separate from them on Earth. Or at least, he figured, none he knew the numbers of. In a way, it really was them against the world in a way that did not make it any bit easier. "You know, 'Jack..." Wheeljack turned his head a bit "If it's easier for me to... You know, just turn myself in I'll do it." The mech frowned a bit "It's most important that you get to the Autobots." He added.

"I'm not going to abandon you like that, Jake." Wheeljack told him simply.

"But if it gets you to Jasper-"

"Jake, I made a promise to protect you and I'm sticking to it." Wheeljack stated, his eyes piercing into Jake's own slowly "Not to mention I've become far too fond of your presence to simply drop you off at some city I don't know, with people I don't know." He said flatly, Jake already felt worse than he had before "Not to mention with the Decepticons, they'd probably-" He continued, but was stopped.

"Is it _that _hard to admit you care about me like a son?"

Wheeljack looked at Jake with a stunned look in his eyes, if he could, he'd have blushed a bit. He wasn't sure that he was ready to admit that right now, he wasn't even sure how exactly he felt towards Jake. In some ways, the boy was nothing more than a friend in his optics at the moment. In others, he saw him as a kid brother, one who _desperately _needed a lesson in subtlety. And a small part of him, at least small for now, looked upon him in a way that easily echoed how he felt around his children, but it was definitely a small part for now.

"Let's just leave it at this. If you give yourself over the authorities..." Wheeljack took a deep breath "It'd tear my spark out to see you go."

Jake nodded a bit, understanding that either way, the mech was not about to allow him to go and turn himself in. Whether he liked it or not, he and Wheeljack were in this together for the long haul. He'd get past that stubbornness, however, Jake would find the thing to get Wheeljack to admit it, even if it killed him. Seeing as even if the mech wouldn't admit it, he knew that he was starting to see him as a son, it was too painfully obvious. "Well as long as your friends don't think I'm a pet like that freak Dreadwing did." He teased.

"Pffft, I haven't even decided if I'm taking you in yet. For all you know you might be my pet." Wheeljack joked, Jake grinned and chuckled a little "What was your collar size again?" He added jokingly.

"I don't know, how big is your ego?" Jake smirked.

"I don't think I can make a collar that big." Wheeljack chuckled "Shucks and I was building a nice big cage for you too!" He teased.

"Oh shut up." Jake replied through small chuckles, as the sun started to set in the distance, Jake looked thoughtful "We camping here for the night?" Jake questioned.

"Yeah, makes the most sense." Wheeljack nodded.

"I need to go." Jake told him, knowing Wheeljack understood the phrase "I'll be right back, okay?" He asked.

"Don't go far." Wheeljack replied with a nod.

Wheeljack took a deep breath, he really had his hands full training Jake. It wasn't going to be the least bit easy, but if they kept working at it, he was sure they'd be okay. If nothing else, at this point, he just had to keep Jake from doing anything as stupid as going to the authorities. Well that, and the tail, finding the Autobots. "Am I too young to say I'm too old for this scrap, yet?" He groaned.

Unfortunately, the answer to that was a big, fat 'yes'.


	9. Quality Time

**CHAPTER 9  
Quality Time**

Wheeljack had introduced him to training, now it was Jake's turn to teach him to something, namely bonding. Being that Wheeljack was, of course, in some odd way his Foster Parent, quality time was something that was needed. Needless to say, if Jake had any hope of convincing the mech he was worth adopting, he needed to try. They'd stopped over in a small town, small enough that in the days of medieval times, probably would have been considered a little village. The perfect place to take a day off the road and just hang out.

How Jake had ever convinced Wheeljack to do this, he had no idea. Wheeljack wasn't the kick back and relax type of mech these days, but it didn't matter, he could handle it. After all, there was no reason that they couldn't take one day just to have fun, with no worries, and no Deepticons on their tail. Jake had convinced Wheeljack to stop at a park, though he'd stopped to pick up a football along the way. "So what's the point of 'catch'?" Wheeljack questioned as Jake raised an eyebrow "Do we throw it back and forth for some purpose?" He asked.

"Yeah, because it's fun. You know _fun_, that thing you might have read about?" Jake asked teasingly.

Wheeljack smirked at the boy slightly, shaking his head. "Oh yes, I've done PLENTY of research on having fun. Punk." Wheeljack replied, roughing up Jake's hair a little "I had five kids, all boys. But none of them asked me to play catch." He lifted an eyebrow a bit "So forgive my-" He began.

"'Jack, think fast."

Jake threw the football before Wheeljack had a chance to finish the sentence. Leaping forward, and catching the ball easily, Wheeljack looked at Jake slightly. "Getting tired of my rambling, eh?" Wheeljack smirked, he tossed the ball up and down "This is an Earth sport, it can't be too hard." He tossed it back, faster than Jake could blink "How did you say that, think fast?" He asked.

To his amazement, Jake leapt to the side, and caught the hard thrown ball with ease. The mech's jaw dropped a bit, he had purposefully thrown it fast and hard in jest, but that had been far too easy for him all the same. "Whoa." Wheeljack noted "Nice catch." he admitted.

"Yeah, I uh... Played a few pick-up games in my day." Jake shrugged.

Looking up the meaning of his words, Wheeljack nodded a bit. "Why not play for a team?" Wheeljack questioned.

Jake looked at his body, he wasn't a twig, but he wasn't exactly a football player. Jake didn't work out, he hadn't really had a need to. He got enough of a work-out tending to the farm, but even so he didn't really have enough muscle tone. "Eh, I'm not entirely built right for a Football Player. Plus it's really dangerous." Jake shrugged "I just do flag football for fun, or used to." He shrugged.

"Makes sense, according to my data, football can result in bodily injury." Wheeljack observed.

Jake nodded, tossing the ball at Wheeljack again, the mech caught it with ease. Jake turned his head to a small family who was also playing a game not far off. Now that was something he'd always envied, family games. It wasn't that Tom wasn't willing to play them, but at his age it would end badly. "You know my eldest..." Wheeljack interjected, Jake turned his head to him "Used to play "Hyper Ball", it was a lot like your football." He added.

"You guys have sports?" Jake asked.

"Of course! Some of my fondest memories are playing around in a similar manner back on Cybertron with..." Wheeljack felt a tinge of guilt saying 'his kids', knowing Jake was his charge "Your Foster Brothers... No beating around the bush, I suppose. Being your "surrogate" Father, at the very least earns you the title of my Foster Son." He stated, honestly.

"Really?" Jake asked.

"Well I can't say it's official as I haven't signed any papers or anything." Wheeljack shrugged "But, between us, I think we can call it a foster relationship." He explained "But either way, we did a lot of sports playing around my home. It was fun." He then added with a smile "This is too." He admitted.

Jake caught the next throw, smiling a bit, looking down, and almost blushing. The fact that Wheeljack had just compared this to time he spent with his own kids meant more than his guardian would ever know. "Yeah, well, I've never played anything like this with a guardian." Jake smiled a bit, looking up at Wheeljack "It's a lot more fun then doing it with friends." He added.

"Your friends must be missing you." Wheeljack noted.

"I'll call them up when we're safe and in Jasper." Jake replied, he shrugged a bit "I wanted to while we were on the road. But with psychotic mechs on our tail I figured that would be a bad idea." Wheeljack nodded in agreement "Besides, they'd ask questions that I couldn't answer." He shrugged a bit.

"What's your excuse going to be when you call them, then?" Wheeljack questioned.

"I'll tell you when I think of one."

They both chuckled upon that joke, admittedly, Jake didn't know what to say. Perhaps, if word wasn't out about Social Services being unable to find him, he'd say he was taken in by someone in Jasper. No matter the outcome there, Jake had a strong, odd feeling that it would't be too far from the truth. "Hey 'Jack, did they have movies on Cybertron?" Jake questioned.

After looking the term up Wheeljack shook his head. "Why?" He asked.

"Because I think I'm going to show you one of the best parts of Earth culture tonight." Jake grinned.

After all, after he'd learned so much about Wheeljack's culture, it was only fair he showed him some of theirs.

...

The Drive-In in town had been the closest theater, ironic as that was. That night, they'd driven to it's location at the edge of the small town, paid the fee, and sat down to a round of "The Three Stooges". Wheeljack had to admit, the movie was funny, and they both were enjoying it a great deal. For the first time, in a way, even if it was comedically, Wheeljack came to understand the orphanage, the thing Jake had once said he'd grown up in. He'd understood what it was like to grow up, never being adopted.

The mech turned to the boy, who, tiredly, leaned against him. For the first time since Tom had died, nearly two weeks prior, Wheeljack saw Jake happy, smiling at something other than a joke in fact. Slowly, Wheeljack found himself putting an arm around the boy. A smile tugged against his holoform's own lips, and for the first time with a kid, since his youngest had been taken away from him... He had to admit, he was happy too.

As the credits rolled onto the screen, Wheeljack looked down at Jake, for a moment, thinking. "Yes." Wheeljack said softly.

"Huh?" Jake looked up.

"My answer, it's yes." Wheeljack smiled a bit, Jake blinked, confused "I'll adopt you. Or... At least, I'll try." He explained.

Moving a bit to stare at Wheeljack, Jake's confusion showed in his eyes. "That was quick, just a few hours ago-" Jake began.

"I've only been beating around the bush, and making excuses... Even to myself..." Wheeljack rested his arm on his steering wheel "But after today, after seeing that movie, and as funny as it was..." He turned his head "Understanding what orphanages _here_ are like." He paused a bit "I think I've realized that I never could let you go back to that." He shook his head "All I could think during the entire first half of that movie was about you." He shook his head.

"'Jack..." Jake began to say.

"It isn't pity, Jake. It's realization." Wheeljack admitted, quietly, he ran a hand along the boy's cheek gently "I've been traveling the stars, alone, lonely... Whether I admitted the latter or not." He then added "When all I really needed? Was a reason to stay." He then added "And I think I've found that reason: You. I mean, it can't be coincidence I crashed into your farm. Or that we're on this journey of ours, can it?" He asked.

"You'd stay on Earth for me?" Jake asked.

Wheeljack smiled a bit, nodding his head a little bit. "I mean the war's here, my friends are here... And you're here." Wheeljack explained, chewing his holoform's lip a bit "What reason do I have to leave this planet behind when I have a lot going for me here?" He sighed a bit "Besides, who else is going to manage to keep up with a spitfire like you?" He said, pulling him into a chokehold and giving him a small noogie, releasing after a minute.

"Thank you." Was all Jake could manage to reply with.

"Well, thank me when we're in Jasper and we find out whether or not this will work." Wheeljack eyed the boy calmly "We still have a lot of ground to cover before you're my son. But... I'm going to do what I can to make it happen." He placed a firm hand on Jake's shoulder "_Everything _I can." He added calmly.

Jake only smiled, that hole that Tom had left behind wasn't totally filled. But he was no longer alone, not at all. Yeah, it was going to be a long journey to Jasper, and it could easily be a hard journey to adoption, but at least Wheeljack was willing to try for him. At least someone who he genuinely liked and felt safe and secure with in the same way he had with Tom wanted him in his family. "This means I'm going to have to train more, doesn't it?" Jake asked with a groan of realization.

"You'll thank me for your training if and when this things happens." Wheeljack commented "Get some sleep though, we're hitting the road, and you're tired." He then added "Training and talk of it can wait until later." He added, calmly.

"Yeah, goodnight." Jake nodded, not even fighting.

"Goodnight, kid."

Jake smiled as he climbed into the backseat, and pulled the blanket over him that night. Happiness didn't properly describe how he felt, elation would have been the better term, without a doubt. Wheeljack turned his head to look at the boy, his mouth curved in a smile. Would this be easy? Not at all. But he did know one thing, after tonight, he was certain of one thing, it _would _be worth it.

...

A/N: Gah! I hope that didn't come off as too cheesy, the drama caused by this forming Father/Son relationship WILL continue. But that last part of the chapter came as natural progression to the storyline to me. LOL Reviews make my day!


	10. Unforeseen Comlication

A/N: Gah! All this positive feedback, favoriting, and alerting is just awesome guys! I'm so glad that this was worth giving a shot! This all really does keep me going! :)

Awesome: Can't reply through PM so thank you, glad you enjoy the story so much.

...

**CHAPTER 10  
Unforeseen Complication**

Wheeljack probably should have given Jake his space that night, yet he still watched Jake for a moment. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain any of this, the journey, his charge... No, not his charge anymore, as far as he was concerned, Jake was now his youngest son. The boy was completely unaware he was even watching him sleep, his stomach moving in and out slightly. Jake was cute when he slept, he observed, even at sixteen the sight of peaceful slumber was something that made a smile tug gently at his lips.

Okay, so the boy had been right, he did care about him like a son, but he couldn't help his stubbornness. He almost wanted to say it was because he loved Jake, and hadn't been certain how to react to that feeling of parental love again. But he couldn't be too sure that was even the case, and therefore gently pushed those thoughts aside. "We can figure that part out later." Wheeljack muttered, as if talking to the sleeping form.

Thoughtfully, he leaned over and kissed Jake's forehead tenderly. It was something that he simply grown accustomed to doing with his kids. And whether Jake liked it or not, he wouldn't pass up the chance to do it just because this was still new. "Welcome to the family, young one." He stated quietly "I think you'll fit right in." He added.

He noticed that Jake smiled, but as his eyes never opened, he guessed he hadn't actually heard him. Wheeljack smirked, this was the most silent he'd ever seen Jake, ever, the boy usually always had something to say. "You know, I'm only barely asleep." Jake half-muttered, of course, Wheeljack should have seen that one coming "Whispering doesn't help much, 'Jack." He teased.

"I believe the proper response to what I said would be, thank you." Wheeljack teased back.

Jake turend over, his eyes slowly opening a bit, looking up at the mech's holoform. Jake just smirked a little at the Autobot, who sat, almost waiting for him, he supposed. "I thought you'd be annoyed at me thanking you for things by now." Jake replied honestly, Wheeljack simply gave a gentle shrug "Plus I'm not supposed to give you a thank you until we hit Jasper." He added.

"You're such a smart-aft." Wheeljack snorted.

"I'm learning it from the best."

Wheeljack chuckled, gently stroking the boy's hair a bit. Jake looked beat, but still not quite yet tired enough to go to sleep. Even if it was late, and Wheeljack knew he sincerely needed it. "You'll learn to be even better at it over the next few years, hopefully." Wheeljack grinned mischievously "But it's really late, son. You need to get some sleep." He added.

"Son?" Jake questioned.

Wheeljack only shrugged, eyes locking with Jake's. "There a problem if I use that term?" He asked.

"N-No, just caught me off guard is all." Jake admitted, he looked down "I've never... Been called that before." He stated, his face going red in embarrassment "Other then when we were at that diner, and that was just as a cover." He added.

Wheeljack frowned a bit, he understood Jake and Tom's relationship, so he had suspected as much. "Well, you just were. And I think you should get used to it." Wheeljack tugged the blankets over Jake a bit "Now get some sleep, Jake. It's late, and I need my own recharge." He explained.

"Not tired." Jake muttered.

"Doesn't matter, it's almost six in the morning." Wheeljack muttered "You need more sleep than that, kid."

"It's six o'clock, and you haven't had a recharge cycle yet?"

"Last I checked you're the child here, not me. You don't get to scold me." Wheeljack grunted, he stared at Jake slightly "I'm going to recharge as soon as you do, and we're going to have a late start." He added.

Jake thought to ask the reasoning for that, but figured it would be a bad idea. Either Wheeljack would become frustrated, or worried, possibly both. Jake nodded, laying his head against his pillow again. He felt yet another gentle kiss and smiled, he had to admit, he liked the Fatherly affection that showed him. Smiling a bit, he fell back asleep as Wheeljack sighed evenly, checking his com link again. Still, the signal was not working, whatever had hit it on impact likely had destroyed it beyond what even he could repair, unfortunately.

The mech really didn't like the looks of what was going on with the comm link. If nothing else, he really wanted to be bale to relax for however long it lasted. But he also worried that their tails had not yet given up. He was off the grid, but the Decepticons had their ways. Wheeljack sighed a bit, he peeked back at Jake a little, he was really worried about Jake. At this rate, they could run out of money for food, and that was the last thing he wanted. He needed to prove to himself he could handle Jake, and he couldn't do that if they ran out of money.

Groaning quietly, he leaned against his seats calmly, there was no use worrying now. He needed recharge, and hopefully that would give him time to figure things out. Right now though, to his sadness, there really was absolutely nothing that could be done. And he'd just have to do what he could to accept that.

...

The next morning, Jake was up before Wheeljack was out of recharge. He'd silently climbed out of the mech's alt form, and quickly changed, as to make the day a bit easier. It was almost odd, he'd never been up before Wheeljack, and the silence made it feel awkward. It did however, give him time to think about everything that had transpired last night. After all, it was still a lot to take in, more than he'd expected it to be when he got his answer. But it was a good thing, and he was definitely happy, it just still had him stunned.

Jake sighed quietly as he started to make his way out of the rest stop they'd stopped by. Rubbing his eye tiredly, he'd almost made it to Wheeljack when he felt the arm around his neck. The knife came next to which Jake was both stunned and frightened. "Empty your pockets." He heard a voice hiss in his ear "Come on, don't keep me waiting, I need the cash." The voice added.

"I don't have any money." Jake's voice stated shakily.

"That's what they all say."

Without thinking, Jake immediately made a move, with an elbow, he quickly jabbed his attacker in the groin. Immediately the man recoiled and Jake began a dead bolt for Wheeljack. "'Jack! HELP!" He screamed as the man grabbed him again "Let me go you creeper!" He screamed again.

Wheeljack, being a heavy recharger, only shifted slightly. Jake, terror rising in his body, was thrown violently to the ground. He got a good look at his attacker, a tall man, much older than him, and only a little older than Wheeljack's holoform. He looked like someone you'd see from a horror movie and that didn't bode well either. "You shouldn't have done THAT brat." The man stated coldly, placing the edge of the blade against Jake's exposed neck "Kid like you? Helpless? All alone?" He chuckled.

"WHEELJACK!"

That got the mech's attention, the scream could have woken the dead. Wheeljack immediately saw the man, and didn't think twice in Transforming. He could have used his holoform, but this was faster, and easier. "Get your hands off my son!" Wheeljack snarled, the man had just moved down to slice Jake's shirt when he saw the giant robot before him "Get off of him and I might let you live." He added.

The man recoiled back, shock and fear filling his features. Wheeljack arm cannon was pointed right at him, intimidating as ever, even moreso on the other end of a very angry Wheeljack. There had been many things wrong with that scene, the man on top of Jake, the knife, and the look on his face. "I don't like pedophiles, my good sir." Wheeljack barked "So unless you want to be eradicated from this Earth, you'll forget you saw either of us and get lost." He added.

He'd never heard a man shriek so loudly or girly in his life. The man ran like the devil himself was on his heels, and Wheeljack didn't blame him, he might as well have been. Hearing quiet whimpering, Wheeljack crouched to see Jake holding his wrist hard. He did a quick scan to find he'd fractured his wrist. "Frag." Wheeljack muttered "Jake, easy, easy, don't touch it." he added.

"It hurts." Jake whimpered a little.

"I know." Wheeljack was thankful for his medical training, however minor, as he activated his holoform "Just let go of your wrist, and let me have a look, son. I need to see how bad it's fractured." Jake slowly did as he was told "He didn't hurt you otherwise, did he?" Jake shook his head "Alright, this is going to hurt Jake, but I need to feel the extent of the damage." He added.

Jake nodded, whining a little as Wheeljack felt the wrist gently. _Frag it... I have nothing to set it with. Where am I going to find a doctor around here?_ Wheeljack cursed silently.

Transforming down into his alternate mode, he discovered it to be just in time. "Hey! Do you need help over there!" Wheeljack's head shot up as he saw a man making his way over "I heard screaming." The man added.

"My son has broken his wrist, he needs a doctor." Wheeljack stated calmly, or as calmly as he could.

"Well I'm not a doctor, but my brother is. I can ring him up." The man nodded "Hang in there kid." He added.

Wheeljack watched the man jog off and grimaced, this was not good. At this point he had to deal with two people spotting them. It was bad enough that the waitress, the ticket vendor, and a few store owners had seen them, and now that man. But now they were talking about an extended stay with a doctor. Wheeljack cursed under his breath.

He could only hope that for once, this would go smoothly.


	11. A New Friend

**CHAPTER 11  
A New Friend**

"Yeah, I've heard about that creep, you're really lucky."

These were the words that Doctor Mark Hunter spoke as he was helping to fix up Jake's broken wrist. The man was probably one of the friendliest people he'd ever met, needless to say. He actually reminded him of a younger Tom, in his fifties, kind faced, warm, and welcoming. It was odd, he really reminded him of Tom in fact. "Yeah, well, I don't feel really lucky." Jake admitted "That really hurt." He added.

"Yeah, well, you'd have been hurt a lot worse if your Dad hadn't shown up. So you're lucky in that respect." Mark replied with a shrug "So are you guys just passing through our small little town?" Jake nodded his head "Figured, I've never seen anyone actually move here." He added.

"I grew up in a town not much bigger than this." Jake shrugged "Before, my Dad took me in anyway." He added.

"So you're adopted?"

Jake nodded in confirmation, he figured that it was the best way to go. Wheeljack had said their cover story was he was his son, not that he was his biological son. And frankly, they looked nothing like each other so it made more sense to go with that. "Figured, you two don't look anything like each other." Jake nodded his head a bit "So why are you guys-"

"We're moving to Nevada, this town called Jasper." Jake answered, knowing what he'd ask already "We don't have a lot of money, so we couldn't get a flight, and, well.. You get the idea." Mark nodded his head a bit "It was pretty sudden, which didn't help. As soon as he adopted me, he got a job transfer." He shook his head "You could say things have gotten complicated." He added.

"Well no one said life was easy." Mark smiled a bit, but shook his head "And there we are..." He finished the splint off slowly "Alright, you should be able to take it off in six weeks. Just get any doctor to take it off, pretty much." He smiled and nodded "Listen, you and your Dad have any plans today?" He asked.

"Not really." Jake shrugged "Why?"

"Wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch with my wife and I." Mark questioned "I'm meeting her in an hour, and I take it you haven't eaten today. What with what happened and all." Jake's growling stomach answered that question "Sounds like I have an answer. You think your Dad would be up for it?" He asked.

Jake looked thoughtful for a moment, they really did have to get back on the road. But at the same time, he knew Wheeljack wouldn't mind hanging around for a few more hours at the most. A knock on the door came before Jake could answer, and Wheeljack poked his head in. "I can see you're worried." Mark chuckled "He's going to be fine, Mr. Jackson. it's actually a sprain, and a doctor should be able to remove the splint in six weeks." The mech sighed.

"Doctor Hunter invited us to lunch." Jake brought up "Can we go?"

Wheeljack stared at Jake, he really wanted to get back on the road. But then again, the chances of that man's story of a "Giant Robot" being believed were slim and none. "Sure, but we can only stay a few hours at the most." Wheeljack nodded a bit "No offense meant, Doctor Hunter. But we're on a tight schedule on our-" He began.

"Of course, not a problem at all." Mark stood up "Just follow me in your car, the wife and I are meeting at this small cafe down the block." He nodded.

As Mark went out in front of them, Wheeljack put a hand on Jake's shoulder. The boy turned his head, and Wheeljack frowned a bit. "Are you okay, you're not too hurt, right?" He asked.

"It hurts, but the painkillers helped." Jake nodded, then smiled a bit "Thanks for saving me."

"No need to thank me, that's my job." Wheeljack pulled an arm around the boy's shoulders "So, you two hit it off, eh?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's really cool, you'll like him when you get to know him too." Jake grinned.

Wheeljack quite liked the thought of making another human friend. If only because after all the stress he'd been through, he needed some relaxation and calm. Sure, he had to keep an eye out for that creeper, but at this rate, he'd be smart to just avoid the town at all. Taking a deep breath, they made their way outside, today would be interesting, that much he could tell.

...

"So Will, what do you do for a living?"

Wheeljack stared up at the woman who sat across from him at the booth, Mark's wife, Donna. He smiled a bit, racking his brain for a cover job. "I'm both a Military Engineer and Special Forces Officer." He explained, using the two classifications that he'd be on Earth "For the most part, I'm the latter, but I'm quite the engineer so I often am called upon for engineering." He explained.

"Impressive." Mark nodded his head a bit, taking a sip of his coffee "So you move around a lot?"

"I used to." Wheeljack replied "But the base I'm headed to now is a much more permanent station. I requested to be moved there so that Jake and I wouldn't be constantly moving around." He explained "I didn't want Jake to spend his time with me without a permanent home or school, you know?" He asked.

Mark nodded his head and turned to Jake, who looked full as possible. Mark smiled a bit, and nodded. "So at sixteen you'd be a junior?" He asked.

Jake shook his head a bit, his eyes moved to the table, then up at Mark. "I'll have to restart from Freshman Year. Before I was adopted by Will, I lived with an elderly man who got cancer." Jake chewed his lip a bit "I didn't go to High School because of it. He was too old, and I needed to take care of him." He then added "I want to get a full High School Education." He explained.

"Very selfless of you." Donna smiled a bit "I'm very sorry for your loss."

Jake did what he could to not make it obvious how recent the loss was. He shook his head, and looked at Donna calmly. "He's in a better place. Tom was a good man, but I knew it would happen eventually. He was ninety-three, if Cancer didn't take him, something else would have." He didn't like to think of it that way, but he knew it was true "Will and I actually met a little before he died..." He admitted.

"And you two just hit it off?" Mark asked.

"It's a long story." Wheeljack admitted, and shrugged "But it wasn't as simple as me just deciding to try to adopt him right away." He admitted.

Mark nodded his head, he tilted it towards the window, noticing the storm clouds rolling in. "And y'all plan to drive through a storm?" Wheeljack nodded in response "Nonsense, bad idea out here, lots of mud on the road out. If you'd like we often rent out our extra rooms." He said politely "I think it'd be much safer for you to leave in the morning. The forecast this morning siad it was going to be the worst storm we've seen in a while." He explained.

"We can't really spare any money to rent." Wheeljack looked for an excuse "I need to get to an ATM and I haven't seen one in town."

"Yeah there isn't one." Donna nodded "But we can give the rooms to you anyway, if you'd like. I'm sure you both could use a nice bed to sleep on after sleeping in your car for so long." She explained.

Jake gave the mech a gentle kick from under the table before he could say "no". He really liked the sound of sleeping on a soft bed for the night, getting a home cooked meal possibly, and having some more company. Wheeljack already got the idea, and sighed slightly, looking at them. "We greatly appreciate it, I suppose one night couldn't hurt." He smiled a bit "But we really have to leave once the storm has passed." He explained.

"Not a problem, I figured as much, but still wanted to offer." Mark nodded "Waitress, check please."

Wheeljack mentally hated himself by doing this, by putting these good people in danger. But then again, it was free bard from the storm, hopefully with a garage included in the offer. Jake needed this, he'd been such a good sport about all of this and one day of a regular night "at home" wasn't going to hurt anything. And besides, no Decepticon would travel out in this storm. He knew the Decepticons, they'd take one look at the cloud and go around it or bridge back to base, not go through it.

_It could give me a chance to learn more about human home life too._ He thought to himself.

As they got the check and departed the cafe, Wheeljack put all his fears and worrying aside. They could do this for one night, he told himself, as it was the one night nothing could go wrong. It wasn't even in a "jinxing" way, he was ninety-nine percent sure no Decpticon would travel in the rain. And so long as the two humans had no hidden agenda (he nearly scoffed at that thought), he was certain this would all go off without a hitch.

...

A/N: Thought it was about time they met someone on their journey. :) Reviews make my day.


	12. Loyalty

TheBlackRose: Since I can't reply through PM I just wanted to thank you for your kind words. :) Glad you're enjoying it.

...

**CHAPTER 12  
Loyalty**

Wheeljack had to sincerely admit, as soon as he'd entered the house, he was genuinely considering leaving Jake with the Hunter's. They'd already learned, in passing that the two of them couldn't have kids. And just looking at the home, even if it was a small town, Wheeljack could tell they had a lot of money. Not that he wanted to get rid of Jake, but that , well, he felt as though they could provide for him so much more easily. It would be easy enough, write a note explaining Jake wasn't really his adopted son yet, and that he felt like they could more properly take better care of him.

The fact that Jake had taken to the Hunter's right away hadn't helped much at all either. Currently he was with Donna in the kitchen, learning to make whatever she was making for dinner. But he'd spent most of the day with Mark, learning a bit of the old house's history. "That's some kid you got there." Mark commented as he entered the den that Wheeljack had seated in through a doorway "You're a very lucky man, Will." He added.

Wheeljack nodded his head a bit, that he was, he would't deny that. "Indeed, I am. I'm quite glad that Jake came into my life." Wheeljack agreed, he looked down a bit "Though there are times I truly worry if... I was the right person to take him." He was silent for a moment "I'm not exactly a loaded individual. Certainly don't have a lot to my name." He then added "You're luckier, I think." He added.

"Having money means very little when you don't have kids." Mark shook his head "I'd rather be poor and fertile then rich and infertile." He admitted.

"You could adopt as well?" Wheeljack suggested.

Mark nodded a bit, his eyes meeting Wheeljack's. "We're trying, but there isn't a lot of call for adoptive families up here. Not with this small a town." He explained, shaking his head "We really want to take one of the older cases like Jake too. We're not getting any younger after all." He then paused "But every kid in Foster Care around here is either unadoptable or an infant." He added.

"That must be very tough." Wheeljack replied sympathetically.

"Yeah, but, our time will come, just like yours did." Mark smiled a bit, he looked at Wheeljack calmly "That kid certainly idolizes you, you'd think you were some sort of superhero." He chuckled a little, Wheeljack smirked, finding it amusing how true that was "You really should cherish the time you have with him, Will. Four years can go by in the blink of an eye." He explained.

He knew that four years was definitely the most he'd have Jake at home for. He was going to High School for all four years, and he was sure that Jake would be living at home for at least that amount of time. But those four years could belong to this couple as well, someone who was better for him. "I just hope I prove to be good enough to be his Father." Wheeljack admitted "I haven't said it yet, as I'm... Still getting used to it. But I love that boy, and I want what's best for him." He couldn't believe he'd admitted that to a man he barely knew "But some days I wonder if the best isn't me." He added.

"You haven't told him you love him, yet?" Mark asked, confused.

"The adoption only became official a few days ago." Wheeljack lied "Jake hasn't even called me 'Dad' for the first time yet. I don't want to rush things." He explained.

Though the day before he had been unsure of whether or not he loved Jake. He couldn't write off the fact that he really cared about him on this sort of level, and if that was the case, he only had one answer as to why: He did love the boy. He'd always known that was the case, but had just been too stubborn to look at it in that way. "Even if that's true, kids like to know they're loved and wanted." Wheeljack stared at Mark in confusion "I was adopted, and I needed to know that four times a day at least." He then added "Otherwise, I worried I wasn't wanted." He added.

Wheeljack felt like he'd been hit in the gut, he'd never thought about it like that. But then again, Jake had never shown sadness that he'd not told him that. Or perhaps he had, he worried, perhaps he did and he was just not telling him. He took a deep breath, and stood up slowly. "I think I need a little time alone in my room, if you don't mind." He nodded his head "Please call me in when dinner is ready." He added.

Wheeljack headed out the doorway, trying to keep himself as calm as possible. Entering the room, and collapsing onto the bed, he rubbed his holoform's forehead slightly. Talking to Mark had already made him worried that he was screwing so many things up already. Jake could have a life here, with a family, and a man who clearly knew more about how to handle this than he did. Wheeljack wouldn't even need to leave a note, Jake would tell them the truth, minus his secret. He could just leave a note with Jake himself explaining why he'd left.

That night, after dinner, after the storm settled, and after Jake was asleep, he made his choice.

...

Wheeljack had gone outside to check up on his systems again first. In his alternate mode, it was easier to do the check-ups and so he used it to check. The quiet night didn't yield any dangers, yet Wheeljack remained on alert. "You're not leaving me here." Wheeljack jumped, and spun around as Jake stood there, backpack over his shoulder, note clenched in one hand.

"Jake, this home is better than any life I could hope to give you." Wheeljack told him, bluntly, his eyes meeting Jake's "They're rich, happy, childless. They want an older kid. EVERYTHING you've probably wanted." He attempted to convince his young friend "With me, the most you'll have to your name is my legacy. With Cybertron gone I can't give you anything else." He said quietly.

Jake looked at Wheeljack, he shook his head a bit, tears streaking down his face. "I don't _want _anything else!" Jake finally replied, his voice choking "I don't care about money, or any of that crap!" Wheeljack paused "I thought you loved me, and that's all I cared about." The mech's face fell "The Hunter's are great, they'd make great parents. But they aren't who I want to stay with." He added.

By the way Jake had started to break, he could deduce one thing. If he did this to Jake, he'd be no better than those who'd rejected the boy before. "Hey, come here." Wheeljack carefully pulled the boy into a hug "You don't have to leave Jake, I just... I thought you'd want to." He kissed the top of Jake's head, gently "Jake, I do love you, and I didn't want to do this..." He crouched down, a hand still on Jake's shoulder "But they... They know more about humans and I-" He began.

"That doesn't mean I want to stay! I want to go with YOU!"

Wheeljack stood up slowly, carefully tracing his holoform's fingers through the boys tangled mop of hair. "You really want to go with me, knowing you'll be in danger every step along the way?" He asked, trying to be honest about it "The Decepticons wouldn't follow us through the storm. They won't know I brought you here." He explained, Jake was silent "You could live a safe and happy life." He added.

"And how boring does _that _sound?" Jake replied evenly.

Wheeljack was silent, but he smiled a bit, stroking the side of the boy's face. He stared back at the massive house quietly, almost ready to tell him to just go. He almost wanted to take back what he said and tell him he didn't want him around. It would have been the right thing, it would have been protecting him. But it would have also been breaking the young boy's heart. "I guess it would be pretty anti-climactic after all the excitement we've already had." He smirked a bit, Jake smiled back, sighing in relief "We should at least stay the night though, you could use the soft bed." He added.

Wheeljack pulled an arm around Jake and led him back into the house, and into the bedroom he'd been lent. Jake yawned quietly, climbing back onto the bed, Wheeljack took a deep breath. Jake looked up at him slowly, smiling. "Promise not to leave me during the night?" He asked quietly.

"Promise." Wheeljack replied softly, he gently leaned down and tucked Jake in before kissing his forehead "I love you far too much to do that." He then paused slightly "And I am sorry I didn't realize that sooner." He added, he started to head for the door "Goodnight, youngling." He added quietly.

Wheeljack stepped into the hallway, and turned his head. Mark stood there, his arms crossed a bit, Wheeljack blinked a little. For a moment, he became alert, worried something about the man would end up being off. But to his surprise, the man only gave a small thumbs up at him, heading to bed. Wheeljack blinked, confused, but nodded, and headed off towards his own bedroom. Knowing he needed to get his own recharge, yet keep up his appearances, things had gone too smoothly for anything to go wrong now.

In Jake's bedroom, unseen and undetected even by the recharging form, a blue, bird-like drone remained stationary outside the window. Feeling as though he was being watched, Jake slowly sat up. Turning his head, tiredly, he made a step forward towards the window, staring out at the drone, rubbing one of his eyes slightly. "What an odd bird." Jake muttered under his breath.

Gently, he tapped open the window, reaching out carefully towards Laserbeak, slowly. The drone slowly moved out of the way, Jake blinked a bit, turning around slightly, he noticed the long, thick chord that had moved through the window. "What the?" He muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

Jake moved towards the lamp nearby attempting to flick it on. Nothing, he realized, the light wouldn't turn on. Immediately, Jake thought of one of the warnings Wheeljack had given him, regarding something called an EMP, more specifically, its ability to shut down technology. "Wheel-" Jake didn't even have the chance to speak.

With a _thwap_ the tentacle had shot forward, wrapped around his waist and dragged the screaming boy through the window. Before Jake could even blinked, he found himself in the outstretched hand of a thin, slender, and faceless mech. "WHEELJACK!" Jake shrieked, though it would do him no good, as he soon felt a heavy pain against the back of his head, then darkness.

Both Megatron and Dreadwing would be pleased with Soundwave, very pleased indeed. Before Wheeljack had even realized that he'd been hit with an EMP, Soundwave and Laserbeak were already making their way through a groundbridge, their young prisoner in toe.

...

"What in the world?"

Optimus Prime's head turned at the sound of a very surprised Ratchet. With the kids at school, it was an early day for them all. Though the only other on-base that morning was Bulkhead. With Arcee and Bumblebee both on patrol. "What's the problem Ratchet?" Bulkhead spoked up before Optimus himself could ask "Don't tell me we already have Decepticon activity..." He added.

"More than that." Ratchet turned his head to the two of them slowly "Bulkhead, correct me if I'm wrong. But is one of these two signatures not that of your friend, Wheeljack?" He asked.

"Jackie?" Bulkhead blinked, he stepped forward, and peered at the screen Ratchet was in front of "Yeah... That's him... What'd he be doing on Earth? Or with a Decepticon?" He asked.

"I think it's best we take a look at this." Optimus stated calmly "Ratchet, give us a ground bridge."

Even before the two had entered the ground bridge, Bulkhead already knew something was wrong. Very, _very_ wrong.

...

A/N: Originally, this was going to take place a lot more on the road. But a lot of people have wanted to see Team Prime, and how Jake interacts with them, etc. And to be honest, there's only so much I can do without getting repetitive with them being on the road. So I've decided to shorten the "Road Trip" half of this story. :) Hope it doesn't make it feel rushed!


	13. Panic From Both Sides

**CHAPTER 13  
****Panic From Both Sides**

Jake woke up to darkness, his eyes heavy, and his fear high. It took several minutes for the haze to clear from his vision and the energy field to break through the darkness. Hugging himself slightly, Jake felt his body tremble, he had no clue where he was, but he did know the last he'd remembered, he was in the hands of a Decepticon. "You said I'd get to keep him as my pet." An annoyed voice that Jake recognized as Dreadwing broke the silence "Not that we'd keep him as a prisoner." He added.

"Did you not see the video Soundwave's drone showed us?" Another voice, that of Megatron answered with a growl "The boy is to a prisoner because he is worth more to us as leverage." There was a long pause, but the silence spoke volumes "An Autobot has claimed him as one of their own. Something unheard of until now. Not to use this to our advantage would be foolish." He added.

Before Jake knew what was happening the shield had turned off around him. Meagtron and Dreadwing's heads had turned toward him. Megatron was the one to make a move though, stepping forward slowly, he plucked Jake up. "Let me go!" Jake barked "Let go of me you freak!" He added, fear evident in his voice.

Megatron only sneered at the young human's obvious fear, he liked that, a lot. Baring his razor sharp fangs, he quickly succeeded in shutting the young human up. "It's quite simple, really." Megatron continued his speech to Dreadwing "Wheeljack has been damaged. But the automatic reboot the EMP caused should reactivate his systems." He added.

"And that helps us, how?" Dreadwing asked, confused.

Megatron peered at his new underling quietly, then at Jake, who tried to avert eye-contact. Megatron's sneer said it all, Jake was a pawn, a very valuable pawn, but expendable. "He'll bring the Autobots right to us, of course. After all, he'll no doubt realize we've taken his little pet." He then added "It's all too perfect." He added, then stared at Dreadwing "You can have him once they're out of the way." He added.

"That wasn't our deal." Dreadwing replied.

"Our deal was if _you_ brought me the boy, no harm would come to him." Megatron snapped "But the drones under your control failed, now didn't they?" He added flatly.

Dreadwing grimaced, but knew that Megatron had a point. It had been Soundwave who had succeeded in taking the human boy and bringing him before Megatron. Megatron set Jake on the arm of his throne, and grinned wickedly. "Though I have yet to assign a prisoner keeper." He noted, tapping his chin plate a bit "Tell me boy, who are you afraid of most?" He sneered.

Jake didn't reply, he wouldn't give Megatron the satisfaction. Megatron frowned a bit, he didn't like disobedient captives, shaking his head a bit, he stroked the boy's head. It was rough, and hurt a bit, just as Megatron had hoped it would be. "Stop it. Leave me alone!" Jake muttered, trying to swat, but knowing it would do nothing.

"If you push harder, you'll crush his head." Dreadwing stated flatly, he looked Megatron in the optics "If you hurt this boy, if anybody hurts this boy, I refuse to join your cause." Dreadwing's voice was low, and threatening "Make no mistake, I do not sympathize with any human. But no child should be a victim of war." He stated quietly "If-" He began.

"A Decepticon doesn't care who is hurt if it's for the good of the cause." Megatron stated flatly "What makes you care so much what happens to this one human, Dreadwing?" Dreadwing remained silent "Well? That was not a rhetorical question. SPEAK." The Decepticon Leader growled.

Dreadwing peered at Jake, he shifted on his feet again, then turned his head towards Megatron. With the most serious of faces Jake had seen from Dreadwing, the mech spoke at last. "There is no reason other than the boy interests me." Jake looked at Dreadwing, in confusion "He is much stronger willed then other humans from stories I've heard. Even now he masks his fear so easily." He explained.

"So?" Megatron asked coldly, Dreadwing was silent "That only makes him dumber than most of his species." Jake looked up at Megatron with a glare "Don't tell me you actually pity the human, Dreadwing." Dreadwing's optics fell to the floor "You're kidding me, it's a human, Dreadwing. A human who happens to serve as a well placed pawn." Megatron finally let go of Jake who rubbed his neck slightly "And one who now belongs to _me_." He said flatly.

"But-"

"Until you prove to me you can be a DECEPTICON, you are not allowed in my presence." Megatron stated, coldly "You may leave."

Dreadwing frowned a bit at Megatron, but did as he said, turning around and leaving the room slowly. Jake felt a great deal of confusion inside of him, why did Dreadwing even care? He understood, in some ways, that he apparently had a code of honor. But this was a Decepticon, they were talking about, not an Autobot, what did he care about honor? "Now, human. You're going to do me a favor, if you want to live anoter second." Megatron sneered.

"I'm not doing shit for you." Jake snapped.

"Then you will die, and it will be a slow death." Megatron replied, coldly.

That was all he needed to make it clear to Jake that he had no choice, or say, in the matter.

...

Wheeljack had already left the Hunter's in search of Jake moments before the Autobots found him. Needless to say, their presence, and their mention of a Deepticon signature only made the mech panic. They'd brought him back to base, where he'd debriefed all five on the events of the last several weeks. By the time he'd finished all of them were dead silent. Though at first glane, Ratchet looked between happy and disturbed. Arcee looked confused beyond belief, followed by Bulkhead, who's expression was mixed that of suspicion. Bumblebee and Optimus's expressions were unreadable.

"Alright Makeshit, the jig is UP." Bulkhead finally broke the silence, stalking forward, and nearly throwing Wheeljack against the wall "Do you honestly think we're going to believe that? Do we look stupid to you?" He asked with a shout.

"Bulk, first of all it IS me. And secondly, if you want proof. I can recite at least EIGHT embarrassing stories about us as younglings." Bulkhead glared, but let go, Wheeljack groaned a bit "I know, it was dangerous to take Jake along, but understand my position. They would have found him anyways. I was certain I could have kept him safe, but the Deepticons blindsided me." He added.

Bulkhead crossed his arms a bit, inclined to trust that this was his best friend, and he was telling the truth. It was just almost a little too bizarre for him, in all the years he'd know Wheeljack he had never done something like this before. "And you are certain the Decepticons hit you with an EMP before Jacob disappeared?" Optimus questione, Wheeljack nodded his head slowly "If they know the level at which you care for this boy, things could become very dangerous." He noted.

"I know... And it's all my fault." Wheeljack muttered, he looked at the leader once more "Is there any way we can find their ship?"

Optimus frowned a bit, he turned to Ratchet, who looked ready to throw a wrench at this point. He didn't like the many risks Wheeljack had taken, most of all, bringing a young human into their war in such a way. Yet, he refused to leave a young human in the hands of a Decepticon. "Does the boy have a cell phone?" Ratchet asked, Wheeljack nodded "Then we can very easily find him, but it will take time. As the ship is likely on the move." He explained.

"How long?" Wheeljack asked, optics filled with concern.

That was all it took to confirm to Bulkhead that this really was Wheeljack, and not a trick. If there was one thing he knew about his best friend, it was that when it came to his kids, he was very paranoid. "As long as it takes me to do it. Do not RUSH me, Wheeljack." Ratchet stated flatly "You all need to leave me to my work now, this will not be easy." He added.

Wheeljack's face fell as Bulkhead gently set a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Jackie." Bulkhead said calmly, Wheeljack turned his head "We'll find 'im. The most you need to worry about is Fowler's reaction when we do." The mech raised an optic ridge "Our liason, he isn't going to like the paperwork he'll have to fill out for this." Wheeljack nodded slowly "Kid must be something special for you to be so worried." He added.

"He is..." Wheeljack nodded his head a bit "I just can't let him be hurt, Bulk. I blame myself for the danger he's been in more than enough." He explained quietly.

Arcee watched the two from a distance, considering trying to help calm Wheeljack down. But she herself had no sparklings, so she wasn't sure how exactly she could have helped any. It was Optimus, again, who spoke up about Wheeljack's worry. "Do not fear, Wheeljack." The mech stared up at the Autobot Leader slowly "However he has gotten into this situation. We _will _bring him back safely." Somehow, it did help a great deal for Wheeljack to hear it from him "But for now, you must allow Ratchet to do his job." He added.

"Yes sir." Wheeljack nodded "Forgive me, I don't always think straight when it's my children on the line." He explained.

Wheeljack made his way down one of the hallways with Bulkhead bringing up the rear. Arcee crossed her arms, and looked up at Optimus slowly. "What would Megatron want with this kid anyway?" She questioned, shaking her head "They wouldn't actually be aware that Wheeljack considers this boy his son." She added.

"I cannot be certain of why, but I can be certain it could be nothing good." Optimus replied.

Deep down, for both the sake of the boy and his fellow Autobot, he hoped that Jake remained safe.


	14. Found

**CHAPTER 14  
Found**

Jake was back in the forcefield, cage, whatever it was, again. He kept his knees to his chest silently, he just wanted out of there. That's all he wanted at this point, off this ship, away from the Decepticons. All he could think about was Wheeljack. Would he actually come for him? He wasn't sure, but he really liked to think that he was. He wouldn't leave him alone on this ship, would he? Jake kicked at the energy, it didn't hurt, but it didn't have any effect either, who was he kidding? He was just some kid Wheeljack found, coming to find him would be too much trouble..

He wasn't coming for him, and he had to accept that. The sound of footsteps made Jake cringe, whatever Megatron wanted him for must have come up. Or worse, he'd decided he wasn't worth the trouble and was there to kill him. The energy disappeared, and he found himself staring up at Dreadwing slowly. "What the hell do you want?" Jake groaned.

"You really are a brave little human." Dreadwing admitted, Jake was silent "How can you not be scared right now?"

Jake shot a glare in Dreadwing's direction, shaking his head. "Are you kidding me, I'm nearly pissing my pants right here." Jake said flatly "But I'm not about to let your creeper of a leader know that." He added, standing up "Now did you WANT something?" He asked flatly, when Dreadwing tossed him a piece of meat, Jake blinked "I don't understand." He muttered.

Dreadwing was silent for a moment, looking away. "If you have to be a prisoner, rather than a pet. I won't allow you to be treated in such a way." Dreadwing muttered quietly "Decepticon, or not, I refuse to starve a child." He then added "I have a son about your age in our years. Two or three years younger." He added "Though he's with his carrier, you still remind me of him." He added.

"So I'm not an animal to you." Jake asked in disbelief.

"If you were, would I bother to give you something to eat?" Jake looked at the meat, blinking, then looked up at Dreadwing "If I could, I'd free you. Megatron went back on our agreement. And the way that you're acting, I can see... We aren't too different as a species." He sighed a little, uncertain for a moment "But I cannot do that." He added.

"You murdered 'Jacks friend without a second thought. So why would you want to help me?" Jake questioned.

Dreadwing was silent for a moment, it was a good question. Unlike most Decepticons, he truly did have a sense of honor to him. And if his son had been taken by Autobots, he'd like to think that perhaps, they might show him some kindness, even if only one of them. "Because I'd hope, if my son were taken prisoner. Someone might spare some energon for him." He admitted, he turned his head a bit "And as for his friend, we must not forget, we are at war. And war is a VERY ugly thing." He added.

As Dreadwing moved to turn the electric cage back on, Jake hesitated a moment. "Thank you." Dreadwing turned in surprise "You're not as bad a guy as I thought... You're not a great guy either, but..." He looked down a bit "At least someone doesn't see me as some sort of pawn." He explained.

For a moment, Dreadwing moved to turn the cage back on, but he didn't. Frag it all, he hated having honor sometimes, but he was not going to watch a kid be killed like he knew he'd be when Megatron's use for him was done. "There's an extra com link right by you." Dreadwing told him flatly as he started to leave "I suggest you use it to get a hold of your Autobot friend before Megatron returns." He explained.

"What?" Jake asked, confused.

"Don't make me change my mind about helping you." Dreadwing stopped in the doorway, but turned his head "You can take my pity, or leave it. But I'd suggest you take it and get back to the mech." He added as he left.

For a moment, Jake considered if it might have been a trap. But then again, Dreadwing did seem to genuinely show concern. Finding the spare com attached to the wall, and carefully putting in the com number Wheeljack had once told him, he began to speak. "W-Wheeljack, can you hear me?" He whispered quietly "Please tell me you can hear me..." He repeated.

...

The words filled Wheeljack's audio receptors faster than he could take them in. When Jake's voice hit him, it took him a few minutes to process but his spark lept with joy. "Jake, where are you? Are you hurt?" He said frantically, his voice very quick and panicked "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice."

There was silence on the other end for a moment. Both Wheeljack and Bulkhead, who had heard his friend's comment waited intently for a reply. "I'm not hurt." Came Jake's cracked voice, it was low and full of terror "I'm afraid but I'm okay, they haven't done anything to hurt me yet. But Megatron... He seems to be have something planned for me and I don't know what it is." His voice was low "'Jack, I'm scared." He whispered.

"Hey, hey. Just relax Jake, I'm in Jasper with the Autobots. We're tracking your location right now." Wheeljack attempted to calm him down as best he could "Jake, have they said anything about where they've been over, at all?" He questioned.

"Nothing, I haven't seen or heard anything." Jake said shakily.

Wheeljack could tell by the tone of his voice Jake was likely telling the truth. After all, Jake was hardly ever scared, but when he was it was very obvious. Wheeljack looked at Bulkhead, who looked at him with worry. "Alright, Jake. You should get off the com, or they might notice. Don't be afraid, Jake. We're coming for you." Wheeljack replied "Try and find somewhere to hide for me, okay?" He asked.

As the line went dead, Wheeljack knew Jake was doing as he was told. "Wheeljack." Wheeljack jumped slightly, spinning around to see Arcee at the end of the hallway "We have a fix on the location, but we need to move now." She explained.

Wheeljack turned to Bulkhead, as if wondering if he was coming or not. At once, Bulkhead cracked his metal knuckles, and looked at Wheeljack with a nod. "Let's go get your kid." Bulkhead confirmed with a nod.

They could both only hope that they wouldn't be too late.

...

The long halls of the Nemesis were the hardest part of finding a hiding place. Jake had no idea how the Decepticons could possibly navigate it, each hall just seemed to get longer and darker. Yet, he kept pushing on, his body trembling slightly with every step he took. Jake did his best to swallow his fear, doing everything he could to keep calm. _You just need to find somewhere to hide while Wheeljack finds you, Jake... Keep moving. _He mentally egged himself on.

_Clang!_

Jake felt his body tense up as he turned around. The Vehicon looked down at him, no emotions on his face to read as it was made up of barely an optic. "Hey, what are you doing out of your holding cell." The Vehicon brought out his arm cannon for a moment, pointing it down at him "Come with me, immediately." It demanded.

Jake took a couple of steps back, swallowing hard as a lump formed in his throat. "Duck!"

Jake took a second to register the new voice, but did as it told him. The sight of a large green mace came into view, smashing the head clean off the Vehicon within seconds. Jake spun around slowly to find Bulkhead standing there, retracting him mace. "W-Who are you?" Jake asked, a little fearful that he was misreading the save "A-Are you with Wheeljack?" He asked.

"Sure am, it's okay now, Jake, you're safe." Bulkhead sighed with relief, crouching down "You are Jake, right?" He questioned, Jake nodded his head and the mech smiled a bit "Bulkhead." He introduced himself "Any other Vehicons on your tail, kid?" He asked.

Jake looked thoughtful, turning his head and looking around. To his relief, there didn't seem to be any others, but he was sure the mech would have noticed if there was. He turned around just in time to see Bulkhead swatted aside, much to Jake's shock. Megatron stood there, much to his surprise, grinning a bit. "Well, well, well, you most certainly did your job, bringing the Autobots here." Megatron grabbed hold of Jake violently "But did you really think you would escape?" He asked flatly.

"Better question, did you really think you could take MY son?"

Megatron spun around as Wheeljack appeared at the end of the hallway. Megatron growled, bringing out a blade an holding it close to Jake's neck. "Not another move, Auotbot, or I'll kill your precious pet." Megatron sneered, Wheeljack's optics slowly narrowed in disgust "Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. As I would have told Prime. If he just hands himself over quietly, I might spare him." He added wickedly.

"Not happening."

Megatron turned, just in time to get a large mace to the faceplate. The mech collapsed, straight into stasis. The blade fell just inches from Jake's face, the boy relaxing slightly. "He's the big baddie of them all? That's kinda-" He began.

"I just got lucky by catching him off-guard." Bulkhead nodded "Come on, move, no telling when he'll wake up."

Climbing over Megatron slowly, Jake trembled a bit on Bulkhead's hand. Bulkhead brought Jake towards Wheeljack slowly, and handed him over. "Now let's get the frag out of here." Bulkhead stated bluntly, looking over at the now groaning Megatron "Before he decides to wake up." He added.

Holding Jake protectively to his chest, Wheeljack nodded slowly. "Yeah, let's get him home." Wheeljack nodded, feeling Jake's gentle tremble "It's okay, son, you're safe now." He whispered.

Jake felt exhaustion set in slowly, passing out after that statement. Heaven knew he needed the sleep, but he had only been able to relax at that moment. Lucky for him, he he could finally relax without an insane amount of fear. Even if, though he didn't know it yet, his troubles were just beginning.

...

A/N: Meh, not my best chapter, but not my worst either. LOL Hope it was at least good. :P


	15. A New Home

**CHAPTER 15  
****A New Home **

Jake awakened in a soft, warm bed in what appeared, at least to him, to be a cave. Blinking a little and sitting up, he rubbed his eyes tiredly, he still felt drained, but already about a million times better. Checking his surroundings he was quick to find a large, red and white Autobot standing nearby. Ratchet inclined his head as he noticed Jake awaken. "Welcome back to the land of the living." Ratchet stated, trying to be polite, rather then frustrated as he currently was "How are you feeling, youngling?" He asked.

"Better, thank you." Jake muttered, looking at the medic "Am I-?" He began.

"You're at Autobot HQ, currently. I'm our local CMO, Ratchet." Jake sighed with relief "You've been under my watch and care since you blacked out in Wheeljack's hand last night." Jake nodded his head a bit "Before you ask where he is, he and our leader, Optimus Prime are currently speaking to Government officials." He then added "A lot of people have been searching for you, Jacob." He added.

"Yeah, I figured as much." Jake replied with a nod "How's the talk going?" He asked.

Jake climbed out of the bed weakly, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. Ratchet shrugged his shoulders slightly, and looked down at him. "They managed to explain why it was required for Wheeljack to "kidnap" you." Ratchet replied, nodding his head "But they're currently working on convincing them to allow Wheeljack to keep you here." He grunted.

"You don't sound too thrilled about that." Jake observed.

Ratchet looked at the boy, grimacing a bit. He never really tired to come off as unfriendly, but he wasn't too thrilled at this. Humans visiting was one thing, but they were talking about a human living with them. Which was another beast entirely. "Don't take it personally, kid. I'm not a huge fan of the idea, but it's not my place to say it." He explained "Optimus has already given the "OK"." He explained.

Jake crossed his arms, understanding at least some of what the medic had just told him. "I won't take it personally. I kinda expected not everyone would agree to it. Didn't think anyone would really." He admitted, shrugging his shoulders "How long before I know if I'm staying or not?" He asked.

Ratchet sighed in annoyance this time, getting a little tired of being interrupted. He turned his head a bit, and shook his head. "Whenever they're done talking. Now if you don't mind, I'm in the middle of work." He stated flatly.

"I see you've already gotten you warm welcome." Jake turned as Bulkhead made his way forward, a smile on his face "Feeling better, kid?"

Jake smiled, glad to see a friendlier face than the medic, to say the least. "A lot better, thanks." Jake replied with a nod "Never got to thank you for the save last night, so thanks." He added.

"No problem, don't mention it." Bulkhead nodded, he looked at Ratchet "What do you say we let the doc bot do his work? Wheeljack asked me to keep you company while he handles the officials." He then added "I'd take you to see the kids, but they're in school." He explained.

"You guys have other humans around here?" Jake asked.

"Not full-time, they're our allies." Bulkhead explained "Not that you aren't too." He added.

"I get what you mean." Jake shrugged, Bulkhead seemed relieved "So, you're 'Jack's best friend, then? The way he described you, I expected you to be more intimidating." He admitted, Bulkhead smirked "Then again, he did say you were a gentle giant." He shrugged a bit, and Bulkhead seemed to nod in agreement "He's actually told me a lot about you." He explained.

"Told me all about you last night too." Bulkhead grinned a bit as they walked away from Ratchet's workspace "Tells me you've picked up on his sarcasm well enough already. Good thing too, around here you're going to need that humor." Jake chuckled, nodding in understanding "So tell me, kid, what do you like to do for fun?" He asked.

Jake stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. "I'm up for anything really, big guy. Maybe you can give me a tour of the base." Jake shrugged his shoulders a bit "If I'm possibly going to be living here I should probably know my way around. Right?" He added, Bulkhead nodded his head in agreement there "I know it's not actually official, or anything, but-" He began.

"I get it, kid. Come on, I'll give you a tour." Bulkhead nodded his head.

Jake nodded his head, following the large mech as he started off down the hall. Jake had to admit, he was currently very nervous. What would happen if Wheeljack wouldn't get custody? He didn't want to go to an orphanage or Foster Home again, he couldn't go back to that. Noticing the tension in Jake's body, Bulkhead smiled a little. "Don't worry, Jake. Wheeljack isn't going to let them take you away." Bulkhead told him calmly "Ole Jackie isn't that easy to say "no" to." He winked.

"You really think so, Bulkhead?" Jake asked curiously.

"Think so? I KNOW so! That ole war bot loves you." Bulkhead crossed his arms slightly "Trust me, you aren't going ANYWHERE." He added.

Jake could only hope inwardly that his new friend was right.

...

"Absolutely _not_, this is a military base, not a children's home!"

Agent William Fowler's words stung Wheeljack in the spark for the eighth time. The man was stubborn, being the only man who, by the time he'd given his speech about why he should keep Jake, was against it. It wasn't that Fowler disliked what Wheeljack was trying to do, but rather that he was concerned that if he were hurt, it'd result in many legal problems. "Agent Fowler." Optimus spoke up from beside Wheeljack "Wheeljack has shown deep concern for the child. He only has his best interests at spark." He added.

"If he has his best interests at spark, he'll allow us to hand him over to the state." Fowler replied bluntly.

"I refuse to let Jake go back into the system." Wheeljack was very blunt in his response, his optics narrowing "I know that a sixteen year old like that stands no chance in it. He'll either get used, or shoved around." Fowler looked away for a moment "I'm a Father already. I've raised five sparklings, and I'm more than ready to handle another one in my life." He explained, leaning in slowly "I am asking you to give me a chance to prove to you I can raise a human. Nothing more, nothing less." He added.

Fowler tilted his head a bit, the other officials had left them already. They'd already agreed with the idea, and in leaving, had left him to make the final decision. He was after all, responsible for the Autobots, it _was_ his call. "You do realize, if you do this, you won't get special treatment." Wheeljack stared at the man quietly "You're going to have to fill out paperwork to become a Foster Parent to him like ANYONE else. You'll have to go to court to petition for his adoption-" He began.

"I'll do what has to be done." Wheeljack interrupted, he leaned in slowly "But Jacob _stays_." He replied sincerely.

Fowler turned his head to Optimus slowly, frowning at him. "You do realize how INSANE this is, don't you?" Optimus was silent as Fowler said this "You're honestly willing to allow a child in your base? With a WAR going on?" He asked.

"We did the same for Bumblebee back on Cybertron, Agent Fowler." Optimus explained, his voice low and serious "Though this is very sudden, adding another Autobot to our ranks will only serve to strengthen Earth's protection." He was quiet for a moment "If the boy is what is keeping Wheeljack on Earth. We can accommodate him." He then added "Besides, the boy has no family to go to. Being an orphan myself... I know how that feels." He explained "Jacob deserves a chance."

Fowler took a deep breath, rubbing the temples of his forehead slowly. He looked up between the two robots, and nodded slowly. "Alright, Jacob Allan can stay. But you _are_ going to fill out paperwork, Wheeljack." Fowler told him, firmly "As of now, it will be put on record that Jacob Allan is a ward of Team Prime. More specifically, its newest member, Wheeljack." He didn't sound all that happy, and Wheeljack could tell he probably wasn't "Just don't make me regret this." He added flatly.

Wheeljack almost wanted to say something about the way he was acting. But he knew that his keeping Jake with him was fully dependent on the man's okay. Taking a deep breath, he nodded his head slowly and looked at Fowler. "Thank you, Agent Fowler." Wheeljack said, almost a little too forced then he'd have liked it to be "I promise you, you, nor your government, will regret giving him over to me." He then added "Now, I'd really like to get started on that paperwork." He added.

Muttering something under his breath, Fowler made his way out of the room, likely to call in a fax. Optimus's hand gently settled onto Wheeljack's shoulderplate, Wheeljack turned his head slowly to acknowledge their leader with respect. "Welcome to Team Prime." He held a hand out, Wheeljack slowly reached over, and took it, shaking it "Though I believe I've yet to meet your young friend." He added.

"Thank you, sir." Wheeljack nodded "One I've done what I have to do, I'll introduce the two of you." He then added "It's probably best you two meet sooner, rather than later, anyway." He explained.

With a sigh of relief, Wheeljack relaxed, knowing that everything would be okay now. His fight to keep Jake with him had only just started, but at least he'd legally be able to keep Jake, even if it was just for now. No, not just for now, Wheeljack was going to see to it that it became permanent, no matter what it took. And somehow, he suspected it would take _a lot_.


	16. Settling

A/N: Just found out I'm officially going to the opening for Transformers: The Ride on May 25th! So excited right now! :D

...

**CHAPTER 16  
Settling**

Jake was amazed by the sheer size of the base, what once seemed like just a cave was anything but. There were tons of rooms, including recharging rooms for the Autobots, there were even extra recharge rooms in case others arrived. Bulkhead had explained to Jake that if he stayed, he'd probably bunk with Wheeljack until they could create one of his own, more built for a human rather than Autobot. He then showed him a rec room that they often spent their time in, especially with their human charges.

After that, it was all rather generic, normal, run-of-the-mill military base areas. "So..." Jake finally spoke up as they walked "When do I get to meet the other kids?" He questioned.

"As soon as you meet the rest of us. We're all here, they're at school." Bulkhead shrugged his shoulders slightly "Besides, if Fowler gives the okay, you're going to be our ward. Mostly Jackie's, but... Either way you're going to need to meet the rest of us." He shrugged his own shoulders slightly "If you don't know who's who around here, things will get confusing, fast." He added.

"Well I already know you and Ratchet, at least that's a start." Jake smiled.

Bulkhead nodded at him, then shifted a bit. "Well, you haven't met Arcee and Bee yet, and trust me, you'll want to do that." Bulkhead looked over at him, Jake nodded his head a bit "Don't comment on Bee's voice if you can. He lost it in the war, and he hasn't exactly fully healed, not yet anyway." He explained "He can only talk through beeps and whirs." He added.

"That's gotta suck." Jake admitted quietly "I promise to be as quiet as possible, though." Jake nodded.

Bulkhead led the boy back towards the Rec Room, suspecting that both Arcee and Bumblebee would be in there. Sure enough the two of them were relaxing on a large Transformer-sized couch. At first glance, going by body language, Jake could tell the female robot was probably the more uptight of the two. The yellow one, on the other hand, gave the feeling of someone around his age. "Where have you been?" Arcee questioned, her optics falling on Jake almost at one "That answers my question." She added.

Jake however, was not about to take it in a bad way. Jake simply put his hands in his pockets, and nodded at her. "Jake Allan, it's uhhh nice to meet you." Going by the coloring of the other robot, he was quick to guess who the femme was "Arcee?" He asked.

"You got it right." Arcee nodded her head "I'd think Bee's paint job would give him away."

Jake nodded a bit and turned to Bumblebee, nodding a bit. "Nice to meet you too, Bee." He nodded his head a bit.

The collection of beeps and whirs were gibberish to Jake. Lucky for him, he crouched low and held out a finger, for emphasis. Jake got the idea that he was telling him "nice to meet you", and carefully shook as close to hands as they could get. "I think you two will get along best." Bulkhead commented off-handily "Outside the language barrier, he's the closest to you in age." He added.

"I'm sure we can figure out some way to communicate then." Jake smiled a bit "It'll be good not to be the only 'teen' around here full time."

He caught a grin from Bumblebee, to which he responded with a shy grin of his own. Jake wasn't ever shy, it was a rarity, but getting introduced to a group of giant robots wasn't exactly easy. Jake had opened his mouth to speak again when a voice cut in. "Indeed, you might do well to have someone in your age-range here longer than a few hours a day." Jake turned around at the gentle barritone voice, finding himself before Optimus Prime himself "Hello Jacob." He added.

Jake immediately was overcome with intimidation, standing before the massive robot. "You must be Optimus." Jake finally stated once he found his voice "It's a pleasure, sir." He nodded his head slowly at the mech "Wow, you're big." Jake covered his mouth at his own stupidity.

Whereas Jake had suspected anger at that comment, he only heard a light chuckle. His metal lips curved into a genuine smile as Optimus crouched low enough to be eye-level with the boy. "The pleasure is all mine." The mech told him, politely, his friendliness easing Jake's nerves "Allow me to take this time to officially welcome you to our team, Jacob." He added.

"You mean-?"

"Yup." Wheeljack appeared from behind Jake "I didn't spend the last hour filling paperwork out for nothing." He smirked, then added "When the others leave to pick up their charges, we'll go with you and sign you up at the local High School." He added.

Jake almost frowned, but knew it wouldn't have been fair. He'd been on the road for a while, and he'd had the last few years off. He needed to start his Freshman Year or he was going to be going to high school when he was twenty-one. "Fair enough, I need to get on that." Jake nodded his head at Wheeljack, then turned to Optimus "Thank you for allowing me to stay, sir, I promise, you won't regret it." He added.

"From what Wheeljack has said of you, I have no doubt we've made the right decision." Optimus stood up slowly, he nodded a bit "I suppose that Bulkhead has gone over the basic rules of the base for you." Jake nodded in response "Good, if you have any further queries, feel free to ask me." He nodded a bit "For now, I must go out on patrol." He added as he left.

Jake blinked, amazed by how friendly their leader had ended up being. He'd thought Optimus would be a stiff, or at the very least, strict. But he had been friendly, and even welcoming. Inside, Jake had a feeling he really was going to like it there. It wasn't going to be anywhere near a normal life, but quite frankly, he liked it that way.

...

For the town they drove in being so small, Jake was shocked by how big the school was. It was big enough that, at first glance, it may have been mistaken for a college without multiple buildings. At the moment, it was only himself, Wheeljack, and the Principal, Steve Kale, in his office. Looking at Jake's transcripts, Kale bilked slightly. "You've had no formal high school education?" Kale asked.

"No sir. My former legal guardian died of Cancer, I took care of him the last three years." Jake leaned forward, looking at the man calmly "But... I'd really like to start, as a Freshman if possible." He explained, Kale looked him in the eyes "I know I'm old for a Freshman, but I want to earn my diploma for completing all four years." He explained.

Kale nodded his head a bit, looking down at the Middle School records. "Well, I know few people who would willingly go through four years of this." Kale admitted, his voice gave away that he was impressed "And you have an impressive record, young man. Honor roll, honors classes, you were going to attend a magnet school a town over?" Jake nodded his head slightly "We'd be very lucky to have you." He added.

Jake blushed, looking down a bit, then up at the man once more. He was definitely not expecting him to bring that all up, not at all. "Thank you sir, I always did work hard in school." Jake admitted quietly "I don't know if it counts or anything. But I was also on my decathlon team." He added, Kale nodded his head a bit "I didn't do any sports, really." He added.

"He has a good arm though." Wheeljack attempted to help.

Jake felt a little tense, not wanting to be on the football team. He'd do it if he had to, but he really would prefer not to. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to allow you into our school. We wouldn't be losing anything." Kale smiled a bit, he stood and held out a hand "Allow me to be the first to welcome you aboard." Jake stood and shook his hand "Report to the main office tomorrow to pick up your class schedule." He added.

"Will do!"

Wheeljack briefly shook the man's hand as they both left the office. "You know, you're going to have to wake up way early to drive me here." Jake teased, Wheeljack frowned a bit at that "We probably should have waited until we adjusted more." He explained.

"Your education is important, Jake." Wheeljack replied, shaking his head "It was time for you to get back into school, son." He added.

"I just had to get an engineer for a Foster Dad." Jake joked.

Wheeljack rolled his eyes a bit, placing a hand onto his son's shoulder gently. He took a deep breath, and looked down at Jake calmly. "Listen kid, even if I was just a Wrecker, I'd feel this way." Wheeljack admitted calmly "Besides, according to him, you're pretty dang smart." He then added "I'm sure you'll do more than fine." He explained.

Jake hoped that Wheeljack was right there, as he'd heard horror stories about high school. He'd heard about bullies, most of all, and they sounded worse than middle school bullies. Yet, he had a feeling that with Wheeljack around, he wasn't going to have much of a problem with bullies. Wheeljack wouldn't allow it, needless to say, he wouldn't sit around and let anyone mess with him. "I just hope I don't deal with any bullies or whatever." Jake grumbled.

"You faced Megatron himself, and you're worried about that?"

Jake grinned, he chuckled lightly, and nodded, it did seem a little silly. Maybe his worrying would all be for nothing, and it would all be okay. At the very least, he could hope for that.


	17. Friends to be Made

**CHAPTER 17  
Friends to be Made**

Jake was hardly ready to meet the other three teenagers when they arrived back at base. Jake had never been good at making friends, the fact that the Autobots liked him in itself was a serious miracle. But what if the others didn't like him? What if for some reason, he was just a weirdo, or something else. Noticing the tension in his Foster Son, Wheeljack turned his head and lowered his optics towards the boy. "They're gonna love ye, kid. Just relax." He smiled.

"Yeah, you say that like it's a fact. I'm not good at this stuff." Jake replied, honestly.

"You did pretty good with the other Autobots."

Jake searched the recesses of his brain for some kind of excuse to give the mech. In all honesty, he really had no excuse, other than being a naturally nervous person. By the time he'd opened his mouth to reply, they'd entered the rec room. Immediately, Jake noticed the three kids in their various daily activities. A young Asian girl was playing a video game with Bulkhead on a loft. A young boy, younger than she was, and considerably younger than their companion was currently spending some time with Bumblebee playing with some toy.

Finally, a boy around his age was watching it all along with Arcee. At least, the boy looked to be around his age, Jake had a feeling he was right too. A sound, not unlike a throat clearing resounded from Wheeljack. Immediately, the young girl's head shot up and she grinned "Wheeljack! When did you get to Earth!" She shouted, climbing from the loft and rushing over "Bulk, how could you not tell me Wheeljack was coming back!" She shouted at her friend.

"It was kind of sudden for everyone Miko." Bulkhead noted.

The girl, Miko, Jake guessed immediately turned toward Jake, her face full of confusion. Jake immediately attempted to step behind Wheeljack, who blocked his path with a foot. "Good to see you too li'l Wrecker." Wheeljack grinned a bit "I've been on Earth for a while, but I was unable to call in my arrival." The mech crouched down "I'd like you to meet my new human partner, Jake." He added.

"When did _this_ happen?" The boy around Jake's age questioned.

"Around the same time he crashed in my backyard." Jake chuckled nervously, he rubbed the back of his head "He uh, kinda, sorta..." Jake wasn't sure how to explain this.

Wheeljack, luckily, was more blunt and less beat-around-the-bush than he was. "He's not just my partner, he's my Foster Son." Wheeljack told them, all three kids seemed to widen their eyes at that "He's going to be starting at your school tomorrow, and he's new to town." He smiled a bit "So if you guys could maybe... You know, help him settle in, I'd greatly appreciate it." He added.

_Sublte, 'Jack, real subtle._ Jake thought to himself as he blushed.

"Whoa! You're going to be living with the AUTOBOTS!" Miko suddenly shouted, her voice full of excitement "Dude, that is _sooooo _cool! I'm totally jealous!" She shouted, her presence already overwhelming "The name's Miko, Miko Nakadai." She held out a hand, which Jake reached out and shook "Dude, you need to give us EVERY detail! How did you two get here! Do you have any pets! Ohhhhh, does this make Bulkhead your uncle!" She began her questions at a rapid pace.

Jake nearly toppled over from the rapid questions, at which point the older boy stepped in. "Miko, breathe." The boy stated, grabbing her shoulders slightly, and moving her aside "Sorry about her, she's a little enthusiastic, you'll get used to it." The boy held out a hand calmly "The name's Jack." He added.

Jack held out a hand, shaking his, Jake turned to Wheeljack calmly. Jake already knew now that his nickname for the mech wouldn't stick. He didn't want to confuse anyone, so he'd have to start calling him something else. "Raf." The younger boy, who struck Jake as shy, spoke up "Bee was just telling me about you, actually." He added.

"You can understand him?" Jake questioned, curiously.

"Yeah." Raf pushed his glasses further up on his nose "I'm kinda the only one who does." He added.

Jake turned to Bumblebee again, then turned to Raf. "Maybe you can teach me how you do it." Jake chuckled "Because I have a feeling that'd come in handy." He added.

Raf shook his head a bit, looking up at the older boy. "Sadly, I don't think it's something I can teach." Raf admitted politely "I'm not even sure how I understand him. I guess we just sort of have this connection." He explained, Jake nodded his head a bit "Trust me, it's pretty easy to talk to Bee though, you'll learn." He shrugged his shoulders a bit.

Jake soon found himself surrounded by the three kids, between Miko's questions, Raf's queries, and Jack's talking... Well, needless to say, Jake, though overwhelmed, found himself a bit more busy than he expected to be. Bulkhead smirked as he made his way down from the loft, and over to Wheeljack, gently nudging his best friend. "I'd say the kid's going to get along with those three just fine." He encouraged.

"Yeah, glad to see that." Wheeljack nodded "It'll be good for him to have friends here rather than just us." He then turned his head "Being we're kind of his family now, and all." He added.

Placing a hand on Wheeljack's shoulder, his fellow Wrecker nodded his head a bit. Wheeljack made a fair point, though Jake was their friend, he was mostly their ward, and therefore family. At least sometimes, that would mean they couldn't always just be his friend, and meant he would need some human friends as well. "What do you say we get a high grade, and let them hang out?" He asked.

"Sounds good to me."

Wheeljack had a feeling Jake would be just fine.

...

Jake found it hard to sleep that night, for one reason or another. Perhaps it was because he'd slept most of the day away, or maybe it was just that he was in a new and strange "home". Whatever the case, he found himself climbing from his bed in his and Wheeljack's shared quarters, and out the door. Sometime during the walk, Jake had been drawn to the one place on the base that didn't seem to be dark right now. Most of the Autobots were in a recharge cycle, as far as he knew, but apparently, not all of them.

Approaching the room, he peeked through the doorway to find Ratchet. The large red and white mech was currently at a console, typing out notes, and other various actions. Jake lingered for a moment, watching, but not wanting to interrupt the mech in his work. "I can hear your breathing." Jake jumped as Ratchet spoke "Shouldn't you be in bed, youngling?" He asked, staring over.

"I uh... I couldn't sleep." Jake rubbed an eye slightly "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." He added.

Ratchet stared at the boy, and sighed a little. He could yell at the boy and tell him to go to bed, but it would have been wrong. There would be plenty of time to do that when their new friend had adjusted to living at the base. "Come on in, Jake. I'm not doing work really." Ratchet grunted, the boy slowly inched in at that "Is the bed too hard or something?" He asked.

"No, the bed's great. I'm just restless." Jake shrugged his shoulders "So what _is _it that you're doing, anyway?"

Ratchet looked at the boy, surprised that he even really cared to know. "I'm working on ways to develop the Ground Bridge system more effectively. To cut down the time it will take to get you to school." Jake tilted his head a bit "The ground bridge is the same technology Soundwave used to make a quick escape with you from what I understand." He explained, Jake slowly nodded "But we can't bridge ourselves subtly outside the school, so I'm trying to develop something new with its technology." He added.

"Smart idea, the drive to school is pretty long from what I saw." Jake nodded his head slowly "I take it they make a noise when they appear or whatever?"

Ratchet snorted a bit, nodding his head in response. "Oh yes, and the fact it's a green swirling vortex doesn't help either." The mech chuckled a little, shaking his head a bit "Our identities are currently a secret, and I think we wish to keep it that way." Jake nodded in agreement "So far though, making it clear and silent isn't exactly the easiest thing to do." He added.

"It's pretty cool that you're trying at least."

"There's no use trying for me unless I succeed." Ratchet replied honestly.

Jake had a feeling that he wasn't going to talk Ratchet out of that mindset. Sighing a bit, he made his way towards Ratchet, curiosity getting the better of him. "Can I.. Get a look?" Ratchet turned his head "I mean, you never know who might be able to figure stuff out and-" He began.

"Jacob, thank you, but no thank you." Ratchet stated, he shook his head "You need to get back to bed, or Wheeljack will notice your absence."

Jake felt a slight disappointment, but didn't argue it at all, knowing it would again be useless. Making his way towards the doorway, Jake stopped there, and turned his head. "You should get sleep too." Ratchet raised an optic ridge "Being up this late can't be healthy for you, and you're the medic." He grinned a little, almost catching a grin spreading on Ratchet's lips too "Goodnight, Ratchet." He added as he left.

"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight." Ratchet grunted.

Turning around, and almost hating the fact he did, he carefully turned off the console. Whether he liked it or not, the boy made a point, he wasn't cracking this design tonight, and he was exhausted. He just hoped that the next day would run smoothly, even without it._  
_

...

A/N: You may have noticed that Ratchet was added to the characters featured. For some reason, I kinda thought it might be cool for Jake to connect with Ratchet as well. Lulz Hopefully I handled the start of it well enough. :)


	18. Formation of a Bond

**CHAPTER 18  
Formation of a Bond**

Jake sighed as he entered the room again, looking at his bed slightly. For a moment, he was about to go back to his bed, but thoughtfully stared up at berth. He'd been sleeping inside Wheeljack, something that brought him safety and security. He'd even fallen asleep to the beating of his spark, or what he suspected was his spark, a time or two. Perhaps, as strange as it was, he missed his Foster Father's presence at night. Slightly embarrassed, Jake approached the berth slowly. "'Jack?" He stated slowly, the heavy sleeper didn't reply "'Jack?" He called a little louder.

It took about four times before Wheeljack's optics slowly onlined, turning over on his berth. "Jake, it's late, you need to be in bed." Wheeljack grunted, he looked down at him "What's wrong bud?" He asked.

Jake thought of how best to approach it without sounding weird. "I... I can't sleep." Wheeljack frowned as he told him that "I know I'm a little old for this but-"

"Nonsense." Wheeljack replied, his metal hand outstretched on the ground "There's plenty of room for you up here."

Jake sighed in relief as Wheeljack told him that, grabbing a blanket from his bed, he climbed onto the mech's hand. Wheeljack's berth was like a large bed, just as Jake had expected. A soft surface, with two massive pillows, but no blanket, they didn't need one. Wheeljack settled Jake onto the unoccupied side of his berth. "Isn't this dangerous, what if you move in your sleep?" Jake questioned.

"We are very still in recharge, we don't move." Wheeljack explained, smiling as he stroked the boy's back gingerly "The surface soft enough for you, or would you prefer to be on the pillow?" He offered, Jake nodded, more than comfortable "Good, good." He looked at Jake "Missed the beat of my spark, did you?" He joked a bit.

Jake nodded a little, his head resting against the surface of Wheeljack's berth. "I don't know why... But it really does calm me." Jake turned to look at the mech slowly "It's so strange." He added.

Wheeljack shook his head a bit, not finding it strange at all. Artificial bonds, especially between a mech and a youngling, were not anything new and they did happen. It was more than likely that Jake and himself had developed an artificial creation bond, and since it was new to Jake, it drew him to his spark. "We call it an artificial bond, it usually is between a parent and child, but adoptees can have it too." Wheeljack looked down at him calmly "You're going to feel that way at times at the beginning. Because at your age, you're still dependent upon me for stability and love." He added.

"When did you know we'd started one?" Jake questioned.

"We formed one over the past two days." Wheeljack confirmed "But it's still forming, and being human, your body probably isn't accustomed to it." He then added calmly "It seems that it's reacting in a way that a newborn spark might act with their creator." He then added "So it shouldn't take longer than a week to subside. During which time I'd suspect you should sleep with me here." He added.

"And after that?" Jake questioned.

"The bond won't be new anymore and well..." Wheeljack smiled a bit "What happens next is pretty interesting. You'll be able to hear me without speech. You'd call it telepathy." He added "There are other effects to it, but you'll understand better once your heart is fully tethered to my spark." He explained, then added "For now, just expect to feel a desire to be near me when you're under stress." He explained.

"Is it dangerous for me to be in school without you nearby?" Jake asked.

That was a good question, Wheeljack realized, he wasn't totally sure how hard this would be on Jake. If the unusual creation of a bond between them was forming, and Jake's half of it was currently reacting as a newborn's spark would, it was possible it would be bad. Separating sparkling's still becoming used to the bond they shared with their creators for long periods until a week after birth was dangerous. "We'll see Ratchet and get his opinion on it before you go tomorrow." Wheeljack replied "I'm not sure if it's dangerous or not." He explained.

Wheeljack was careful of one thing, to move onto his side, and keep Jake near his spark. Not only would it speed things up, but it would appease the bond that was being formed. "Try not to move away from my spark. But this might get a little warm." He stated, gently allowing his spark chamber to open "But it's what you need at this point of the bond formation." He added.

The warmth of Wheeljack's spark reverberated off of Jake as Wheeljack turned him over. Immediately Jake felt a warmth in his heart, his body relaxed, and all nervousness he felt slowly relaxed. Wheeljack watched as within moments, Jake was sound asleep, unmoving, definitely relaxed. Wheeljack frowned a bit, this could make things far more difficult.

...

"Well you're right, there _is _a bond forming." Ratchet stated as he stared a the monitor "I've never seen it happen before, but there's a first time for everything."

Holding Jake in one of his hands carefully, Wheeljack stared at Ratchet. Feeling a great amount of nervousness now, could he leave Jake at school? He was sixteen, sure, but what happened if the stress grew too much? It could be dangerous, both for Jake, and for Wheeljack. "What do we do then, doc?" He questioned "Can he be left at school for a few hours?" He asked.

"That would be very unwise, Wheeljack." Ratchet replied, he looked at the two of them "Jake's heart is not used to being tethered to anything else. And as a result, it's responding as a newborn spark would. For now, it requires to be within a certain proximity of your spark." Ratchet looked upon Jake for now "It won't be for long, I'd give it two weeks, at most. Jake is developed enough that the process will speed up." He explained.

"So I can't leave the base for at least two weeks?" Jake questioned.

Ratchet nodded his head affirmatively, then looked at Jake. "There is some good that comes from the bond, however." Ratchet encouraged lightly "It will make you a part of Wheeljack's spark forever. As far as we are concerned, a bond like this..." He shook his head "It's how we adopt the young of our species, and most once it has fully developed into a bond... Well, your heart will recognize Wheeljack as your creator." He added.

"Which means?" Jake asked.

"In English, you won't recognize anyone else as your "father"." Wheeljack explained as best he could "It eases the adoption transition for you, in a way." He explained, Jake looked up at Wheeljack curiously "Once it's formed, you're likely to start-" He began.

"Calling you Dad, things like that?" Jake asked.

"If it's strong enough, that's one possibility. But it doesn't force it upon you." Ratchet attempted to explain "With adoptees, what it causes normally is dependent on how strong the love they share with the adoptive parent is." Jake nodded his head a bit "We'll monitor it daily though, so we should know before long how strong the bond you'll share is." He explained.

"This doesn't mean I'll start acting like an infant, does it?" Jake asked.

"Hardly, you'll merely find it hard to spend long periods of time away from him." Ratchet replied, then added "Try not to spend more than two hours away from him at a time, alright? It'll be a pain, but trust me, you'll want to." He then added "If you don't, it could end in severe pain. Or, if it's really as strong a need as it is for a newborn spark..." He paused for a moment "More than fourty-eight hours away from him could kill you." He added.

Jake frowned a bit, definitely not liking the way that sounded. But definitely understanding what he had to do, if nothing else. He could feel his body intensify, but also felt Wheeljack giving a comforting back stroke again. "No more than two hours away from Wheeljack. Don't get captured because I could die... Got it." Jake gave a thumbs up "We should tell the school I won't be going for a while, obviously." He added.

"Yeah, probably a good idea." Wheeljack nodded "Can I leave him with you doc? They might find it odd if he's in the background when I do." He added.

Ratchet nodded, not entirely minding, but still having work to do. Wheeljack set Jake on a table as he left the room, oddly, Jake already saw what Ratchet meant, a small tug pulled at his chest, but subsided slowly. "I suddenly feel sorry for sparklings." Ratchet turned his head "This is so weird, I mean... It makes me feel awkward, almost." He muttered.

"You'll get used to it, it's not bad at all." Ratchet shook his head "I think you'll be thankful for it in the long run." He added.

"I hope so too, because I really don't have a say in the matter." Jake laughed a little.

Ratchet nodded, the boy had a point, a bond formed on its own. Meaning Jake had to get used to it one way or another, as he'd have it for life, like it or not. And though it was tough to go through the process, Jake knew it was needed. At the very least, it was was two months, and it wouldn't be entirely terrible, he supposed. Though he wasn't sure he was going to get used to sleeping with an open spark chamber nearby, needless to say. "As long as there's no baby talk and bottles involved." Jake added "I'll deal with it." He added.

"Don't worry, that doesn't come until week two."

For a moment, Jake wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but the chuckle answered that for him. Jake only returned it with a chuckle of his own, but inside, was thankful it wouldn't come to that.


	19. Still A Long Way To Go

A/N: Whoa, over one hundred reviews already? Wow, you guys are too kind! I'm so glad you all love this so much! It definitely is what keeps me going like this.

...

**CHAPTER 19  
Still A Long Way To Go**

By the end of two weeks, Jake was already ready for the bond to be completed. Every time Jake felt the smallest bit of separation anxiety, he had to be held to Wheeljack's open spark, even if it was in front of the other humans. Jake knew it wasn't their fault, his heart had to adjust to the tether, and like it or not, that meant he needed the warmth of Wheeljack's spark at times. None of the others made rude comments about it either, they all seemed to understand why Wheeljack had to do it.

Ratchet had off-handily commented if there were two parents, this would have been easier. But since Wheeljack was a single parent, he had no choice but to do it himself, and it took longer. Jake didn't mind, but it was a frustrating process to go through, especially when the bond was growing stronger. He was slowly starting to look at Wheeljack as even more of a Father than he had before. The more that happened, the more he would actually find himself wanting to be near his Foster Father's spark.

So it was, in its own way, getting harder and easier all at once. Waking up that morning, he yawned and stretched a bit. He was held in the crook of Wheeljack's arm, which was where he now normally slept. The arm was slumped ove the spark chamber, but two attachments to the arm kept him from falling in. Stretching a bit, and snuggling into his armor slightly, Jake relaxed a little. "Good morning, youngling." Wheeljack smirked as his optics onlined "How do you feel?" He asked.

Jake didn't know howe exactly to describe how he felt, but one thing was for sure. He looked up at Wheeljack, and did not see his guardian, he looked up at him and could only see his Father. Ratchet had been dead on, he realized, as he couldn't even look at Wheeljack, and think of him as "Wheeljack" anymore. He felt a tie to him that wasn't there before, and felt bizarre. "Feels like I woke up from one long strange dream or something." Jake looked at the mech calmly "Can't look at you like I did before." He added.

"You'll get used to that, it's hard at first, but before too long it'll be like I was nothing else before." Wheeljack set the boy down on the floor calmly "It's the same thing with me, you know... I look at you now and my praternal instincts are at a higher level now." Jake nodded his head a bit "It'll take us both time to adjust to that, but... Now you can finally get on with your life." He added.

Jake only grinned, and nodded his head as Wheeljack carefully deposited him onto his shoulder. They made their way carefully into the Med Bay, where Ratchet was already waiting for them. "There you both are, I was this close to coming you to haul your afts over here." Ratchet huffed a bit "I became too worried that something was wrong." He added.

"Jake's a heavier sleeper than I am." Wheeljack replied, setting Jake down on his usual perch "When he woke up, I could hear his heartbeat. So I take it that it's safe to say it was a success." He watched as the medic began to hook Jake up carefully, patiently waiting "How long will it take before we know if the bond has matured enough?" He asked.

"The bond has not fully matured, but it will be at least a year for that." Ratchet explained, he looked at the monitors calmly "But it has progressed enough that being away from you for extended periods isn't a problem." He looked at Jake slowly "I think you'll be happy to hear that you'll finally be able to leave the base." Jake grinned happily in response "But you should come to me if anything feels too off." He added.

"Will do." Jake nodded his head a bit "I'm just glad I'm not stuck here anymore."

Jake leaped from the surface calmly, it was odd, but he could feel Wheeljack's sparkbeat too. Only when he really concentrated, but none-the-less, it was there. Perhaps this was why he didn't need to be so close to Wheeljack anymore, he could feel him when he needed to. "Pretty cool, huh?" Wheeljack asked, knowing Jake could tell.

"I guess this is why I no longer need to be near his spark?" Jake asked, turning to Ratchet.

"Correct." Ratchet nodded his head "Which means Wheeljack can also finally go on-duty." He added.

Jake's brow furrowed, he didn't like the thought of his now 'Father' going on-duty, at all. He understood that they were at war, and that was the whole reason he was there. But at the same time it wouldn't be like their journey, he'd be on the actual battlefield. "Hey." Wheeljack spoke up as Jake turned his head towards him "Don't worry about me, kid. I can handle myself." He winked at him then turned to Ratchet "So, what should we be weary of?" He asked.

"At this point? Just don't neglect each other. Jake is still very much going to need to be shown love." Jake nodded at that, it was a given, every kid needed to know they were loved and cared for "As long as you two don't completely ignore each other. I don't think you'll have many problems." Ratchet then added "I still want to monitor it from Jake's side. See that it's developing properly." He explained.

"Sure thing, doc bot." Jake nodded his head "I'm used to it, anyway." He admitted.

Wheeljack nodded his head in agreement, looking down upon Jake slowly. "Come on, Jake. I'll take you into town again for a celebration." Wheeljack nodded towards the door "Go get dressed and all that slag. Meet me in the front area." As Jake grinned and jogged off, Wheeljack took a deep breath "Is it normal for a bond as strong as you said it was... Not to cause him to call me "Dad" yet?" He questioned.

"I think Jake is still adjusting to the initial shock. Give it a few more days, he'll adjust." Wheeljack nodded a bit at Ratchet "As I've said, Jake's heart is still getting used to this. Which means the bond on his end is still premature. About the level of a ten vorn old." The mech nodded in understanding "He may feel a bit nervous about calling you that, as well." He explained.

"When do I start worrying?" Wheeljack asked.

"If he hasn't called you "Dad" by the end of the month, there might be a complication." Ratchet replied with complete honesty "Otherwise, it's a natural bond, just a slower moving one." Ratchet nodded his head a bit "This should help with the problem I know you'd worried about though." Wheeljack raised an optic ridge slightly "Helping Jake to know that he was wanted here." He pointed out.

Wheeljack nodded, understanding, knowing Ratchet was right. With so much left to do before Jake was actually his he had worried that Jake might consider himself little more than a nuisance. Which Jake was far from, really, even before the bond had formed. He loved Jake and nothing was going to change that, even if the process of adoption was long and hard. "Good, I was worried about that. Jake's been hurt a lot and..." He paused quietly "I want him to know he's wanted and loved here." He added.

"I'm sure he will, in time." Ratchet nodded his head a bit "We've all been trying to make him feel welcome." He added.

"Surprises me since Bulkhead used to say you didn't warm up to anyone." Wheeljack smirked.

Ratchet shrugged his shoulders a bit, he did like the kid, but they weren't entirely 'friends' yet. During his monitoring of the bond, Ratchet had talked to him often, and therefore, he had grown fond of Jake a little. "He's a good kid, though he has some maturing to do." He was calm in saying this, then added "Though I will admit, I do think his presence adds a little something to the base." He added.

"A little bit of energy when the other kids are gone?" Wheeljack questioned.

Ratchet gave Wheeljack a look, it was definitely not that, Ratchet was not the type to like chaos. "Not necessarily that. I simply think that he's a little..." Ratchet paused for a moment "I suppose it reminds me of when our team was raising Bumblebee on-base." He then added, slightly "Don't tell anyone I said this, but I do enjoy having younglings on base more than I don't." He added.

"Your secrets safe with me doc bot." Wheeljack nodded.

Jake returned sooner than he'd expected, yawning and stretching. Wheeljack smiled, scooping his son up carefully. "Ready to go, kiddo?" Jake nodded as Wheeljack gave his hair and gentle, playful toss "Good, because I think you deserve some fun after being cooped up in here all week." He poked the boy a bit "Anything you want to do today, Jake. The day's yours." He then nodded "I think that being on-duty can wait until tomorrow?" He questioned.

"Unless an immediate emergency arises, that should be fine." Ratchet grunted, knowing he probably should have said no "You should go before I change my mind on that." He added.

Jake smirked a bit and nodded at Ratchet, he was definitely looking forward to that day. A day away from the base? Doing whatever he wanted? He would most definitely enjoy that, especially since he knew he'd be in school on Monday. Though this whole feeling was going to take adjusting, he could get his mind off adjustments, and enjoy himself. For now, he was just thankful for one day of doing that.


	20. The Sins of the Parents

**CHAPTER 20  
The Sins of the Parents**

Ratchet had started the background check months ago, but it was only now that it'd been completed. Just as he'd feared, and much to his dismay, Megatron's interest in Jake stemmed further back than he'd wanted to believe. Not only had Megatron known of him before, not only had Jake never known them, but the Autobots had known them as well. The mech had _known _that the name Jacob Allan had had meaning to them, but he'd thought it had to be a coincidence, there was no possible way Jake was the son of... It was too common, he'd told himself.

He'd been wrong, so very wrong. Richard Allan had been their first liason, some time before Agent Fowler had come into the picture, sixteen years ago. Richard had, for a time, started as a very respectable young Agent. At the time, his wife, Amanda, had been pregnant for a few months, with a baby that Ratchet now knew was Jacob. Richard had been Ratchet's friend, in fact, he'd been a charge of his. And that was what made what took place all the more tragic, and all the more horrifying. A day that he'd never forget.

Richard had been on his way to the Autobot Base that day. Their baby boy had been born a few months earlier, leaving Richard on leave at Optimus's request. The man had told him that he'd had valuable intel for them, something that the Decepticons would kill for. And kill for, they did. No one knew what it had been, and they suspected Megatron never found out either. Because he never arrived that day, and knowing something was wrong, Ratchet had quickly driven out, looking for them, following the faint life force signals that he knew were theirs.

He'd found them in the desert, several miles from base, holding each other's hands. Richard had still been alive, but barely, burns covering every inch of his body, and he himself frail and weak. His dying words to Ratchet were that he hadn't told them anything, and that his legacy carried what he'd meant to tell them. He'd started to tell Ratchet the meaning when he'd finally took his last breath, and died. By the time Ratchet had thought of their child, the boy had been taken away, likely by social services though he didn't know considering he was said to have been left on a doorstep.

Ratchet quietly realized Jake hadn't been abandoned, not at all. His parents had died, and somehow, someway, left him with something that Megatron mostly likely, and most definitely, wanted his hands on. Taking all of this in, the thought of loosing Jake now, the one thing he had to connect with his former best friend, horrified him more than anything else. Though there was only one thing that Ratchet could think it might be. Was it possible, somehow, someway, that the man had found one of the Iacon Relics before the Autobots knew they even existed? Information that was extremely valuable?

Ratchet dared not think that way, as he knew that would put Jake in mortal danger. Especially if Optimus, as Orion, had been right and they were in fact weapons of mass destruction. "Ratchet." Ratchet turned his head slowly as Optimus entered the room "You haven't come out of your room all day." He added.

"I've been finishing researching into Jacob's past..." Ratchet was quiet for a moment "He's Richard and Amanda's son, Prime."

The look on Optimus's face said it all, he was as stunned as Ratchet was. Inside, Optimus almost didn't want to believe it. Knowing full well how much danger that could possibly put their young friend in. Leaning towards the console, and seeing what Ratchet did, the mech frowned quietly. "This is... Very bad." Optimus shook his head slowly "Jake cannot know about this." He added.

"But Optimus, Jacob wants to know-" Ratchet began to speak.

"He may want to know, but he has enough stress on his hands. We can approach him on this subject later." Optimus spoke very calmly "Feel free to tell him who his parents are, but we leave _that _part out of it unless completely necessary." He paused quietly "There is no reason for a child to bare that burden unless we know for certain that Megatron wants him for that reason." He added quietly.  
_  
_Ratchet nodded his head slowly, Optimus made a point. They had no proof that was the reason Megatron wanted him for that, not that he knew of at least. If the need arised, then they would tell Jake about the circumstances behind his parents deaths. "But Optimus..." Ratchet turned to him "What could they have possibly left Jacob? The boy never even met them." He questioned.

"That's a very good question." Optimus mused, very confused, in fact "It is very unlikely that Jacob even knows what it is his parents left." He shook his head "Richard would never make it obvious. It would put him in danger." He shook his head slightly "We are very lucky that we have found out. If Megatron _does _in fact know and is after the boy for that reason... It is better that we are aware." He explained.

"Do we let Wheeljack know?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes, I believe we would benefit by telling him this. Perhaps he can keep an eye out for anything that Jacob owns that is out of the ordinary." Optimus put his hand on his hips "I don't suppose you have any idea what we may be waiting for?" He questioned.

Ratchet shook his head slowly, wishing he did know something. Yet Richard had told him nothing that might have happened or not, and that made it difficult for him to recall anything out-of-the-ordinary. "If I can think of anything, Prime, I'll tell you." Ratchet nodded "For now I need to get back to my work. So if you don't mind." He added.

Optimus knew Ratchet simply needed some time alone, and therefore left. Ratchet simply sighed, and leaned against his desk quietly. Unable to comprehend the fact that Jake was the son of his two closest human friends. The fact that he was the only thing in this world left of them. Inside, Ratchet swore that, since this was the truth, no matter what, he would never let anything bad happen to Jake. He may not have been his son, but in the memory of Richard and Amanda, he would protect him with his life.

...

"I've never seen a concert, even from this distance."

Jake was carefully seated on Wheeljack's hood, relaxing. What one of his favorite bands, Train, was doing in Jasper they had no idea. But they had found a parking place some distance from the park where they were playing to relax. "They're very good, actually, I like it." Wheeljack admitted, though he was never really a fan of music "You say that you listen to them often?" He asked.

"When they're on the radio." Jake shrugged.

Jake sighed quietly, closing his eyes, and nodding along to the music calmly. Feeling a pair of arms around him, he opened his eyes to find Wheeljack's holoform hugging him close. "Well, I'm glad to hear I could treat you to a free concert by them." Wheeljack replied calmly "I'm not quite a music fan but I do think they have a good beat to them." He added.

"Yeah, they do." Jake nodded in agreement, snuggling deep into Wheeljack's chest "And they haven't even gotten started yet. Wait until you hear their real music, it only gets better." The boy grinned a bit, Wheeljack simply smiled a bit "Listen 'Jack. I've been thinking about it, this bond thing." He then added, quietly "What do you think of me actually starting to call you Dad?" He asked.

"I don't want to force it on you." Wheeljack replied honestly.

"You're not, 'Jack. I just... I've never gotten to call anyone that in my life." Jake explained, Wheeljack was silent "I didn't know my parents, Tom was like a Grandfather. But you... You're like a Dad to me now and I..." Jake was silent for a moment "You're the only person I've ever felt compelled to honestly call that, and if you'll let me, I'd really like to start." He added.

Wheeljack looked down upon his Foster Son quietly, of course he wouldn't say no. But he hadn't expected it to happen so soon after what Ratchet had suspected. Pulling the boy closer to his body, and gently placing a kiss on the top of his head, Wheeljack nodded. "You're more than welcome to call me your "Dad", Jacob. I have no problem with it." Wheeljack replied, his voice filled with honesty "As long as it is what you want, I have no reason to deny you the right. Considering we do have this..." He patted his holoform's chest "Now." He added.

Jake smiled and nodded, allowing himself to be held by Wheejack. He definitely was happy to hear that, not just because of the bond, but for other reasons too. He liked the thought of finally having someone to call "Dad". He needed it, he needed the stability, and he needed to know that someone wanted him to do that. Wheeljack sighed a bit, he hadn't been called it in a long time, far too long, as far as he was concerned, and it was welcomed. Jake was, as far as he was concerned his youngest son, whether it was official yet or not.

A small beep got his attention as he slowly turned on his com. Jake turned his head, curious, but Wheeljack only nodded, before turning to Jake. "Don't worry, that was only Ratchet. He wants to see you once we're back." He explained, Jake nodded slowly "Almost ready to head back, for that matter?" He asked, the concert was already ending and the sun starting to go down.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go." Jake stretched, climbing down from the hood "Wonder what Ratchet wants?"

"We'll see." Wheeljack replied honestly.

Somehow, he already had the feeling that it was much more important than he was prepared for. And that went double for Jake.

...

A/N: It took me forever to decide what the main conflict in this story would be. So glad I finally have that out of the way, as it might have gotten boring fast otherwise! LOL


	21. First Night Nerves

**CHAPTER 21  
First Night Nerves**

"So my parents... Well my Dad, anyway... Was your first liason?"

Jake was taken aback already, stunned beyond belief at what Ratchet had just told him. The mech nodded at him calmly, but Jake was far from calm, he didn't know how to react, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of a proper reaction. It was so strange to think that all this time, he could have had a permanent home if Ratchet had took him in. If he and his parents had been best friends, why had he been in an orphanage? "I went back for you." Jake turned his head as Ratchet spoke, as if reading his mind "When they died, I went in holoform to Social Services and searched for you..." He then muttered "The fraggers said I wasn't qualified." He explained.

"So you didn't-" Jake began.

"Of course not!" Ratchet replied, stunned the boy would even suggest that "You were the son of two of the closest friends I have ever had. I would never intentionally leave you alone." He added, shaking his head slowly in response "Primus, I spent upwards to two years fighting just to know where you were. They wouldn't even give me that." He was silent "Eventually, I had to give up." He explained.

"I get it. I guess it was for the best though, eh?" Jake turned to Ratchet slowly "I found Wheeljack. And I still came back here." He explained.

Ratchet smiled finally, but it was faint, yet that was true. He was among those who believed, truthfully, that Jake and Wheeljack had been meant to find each other. He was more than happy just to know Jake was alive and happy, and living near where he could keep an eye on him. "Richard and Amanda would be very happy on both accounts." He explained, Jake turned to him again, smiling a little "They'd be happy that we were together, and they'd be happy you'd found someone who loves you like Wheeljack does." He added.

"I'm glad I found you both if that's the case." Jake smiled a bit "So, what... What were they like?"

Ratchet looked at Jake, thinking through in his processor how to properly respond to the question. "Your Father may as well have been the offspring of Optimus Prime himself. He was a born leader, kind, compassionate, he didn't have a mean bone in his entire body as you would put it." Ratchet explained "He was one of the few people in this world that could calm me down, so-to-speak." He added "Brave too, very much so. Stood up to the President himself on one occasion, when he wanted to terminate the team." He explained.

"And my Mom?" Jake questioned.

Ratchet chuckled a bit, knowing where Jake got his patience now. "Between the two, you remind me the most of her. She was..." Ratchet shook his head "She was really something else, I'll tell you. How would you put it in human terms? A nag?" Jake laughed a little "But also sweet, kind... She went out of her own way to make a bad day better." He shook his head "She was the perfect match for your Father." He added.

"When did she-?" Jake began.

"I discovered that she was pregnant with you four months into your Father's job." Ratchet explained, smiling brightly "Make no mistake, your parents were the happiest beings in the world that day." He explained "I was quite excited myself, I will admit." He shook his head "There aren't many sparklings left, so to think we'd soon be meeting a young human one..." He shook his head "It was really something else." He explained.

"Yeah, well... I'm not quite small and cute anymore." Jake shrugged a bit "But I hope I'll do." He added.

Ratchet smirked, he had to admit, he did like Jake. And could definitely get used to having him around, despite the fact it'd been something he'd definitely been initially against. "I think I can definitely get used to your presence." Ratchet nodded his head a bit "But for now, I must cut our conversation short. I believe you need to be in recharge now, and I have work." He explained.

Jake nodded his head, hopping down to the ground on his feet as it wasn't too high. "But, if I ever have any other questions?" Jake asked quietly.

"Just make sure I'm not in the middle of work."

Jake nodded his head slowly, looking over his shoulder a bit. "Thanks Ratchet, you're a really good guy. No matter what the other guys say." He explained.

As Jake left, Ratchet smiled. "Thanks." He paused a moment "Wait a minute? What DO the others say about me?" He questioned.

...

Jake hadn't been on a normal bed for a while, so to finally sit on his bed felt strange. They'd by now moved out the spare bed and set up a real one for him that they'd transfer to his room when it was ready. It was a decent, queen sized bed, blue comforter, and white colored sheets and pillows, nothing special, but definitely soft, comfy, and inviting. "I still don't get why I need a bedtime." Jake mentioned to Wheeljack, who turned his hed towards him "I mean, come on Dad, I'm sixteen." He added.

"You live under the Autobots roof, you live with my rules, son." Wheeljack snorted a little, Jake frowned a little "I don't think eleven is a bad time for bed, though. You do need your sleep, but it's not like I'm telling you to go to bed at eight." He added.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that even if you told me to."

Jake grinned a bit, climbing beneath the covers of his bed. He could see Wheeljack prepping his blades, and some other weapons, as well as devices. Jake frowned a little, something that did not go unnoticed by the Wrecker. "I'm on-duty now Jake, remember that?" He asked, politely, Jake nodded his head slowly "Chances are, while you're asleep I may be going out." He added.

"What happens if you're still gone when I'm awake?" Jake questioned.

"One of us has to be here to man the Ground Bridge." Jake nodded his head slowly "They'll handle your stuff that morning."

Jake sighed a bit, he hoped that wouldn't happen, he really did. He didn't like the thought of waking up without Wheeljack being around, he'd worry too much, way too much in fact. Feeling pressure on the bed, he found Wheeljack seated there. "Bud, if I do leave I promise to do everything I can to be home by the time you wake up. I promise." He commented, tugging the covers over him gently "But I do think I have patrol tonight." He added.

"Be careful." Jake told him quietly.

"Always am, son." Wheeljack leaned forward, kissing his forehead gently "I love you bud, now get some sleep and have sweet dreams." He added.

"Love you too, Dad."

The holoform slowly disappeared and Jake was soon left in a dark room. For a moment, he tried to go to sleep, but he couldn't. He had a feeling the first night Wheeljack was on duty would be very hard. Carefully he opened his nearby backpack. Bringing out the one thing that helped Jake to fall asleep. It wasn't much more than a puzzle box that had been left with him at the orphanage. It was odd, but his parents had left it with him so he often tried to solve it. In sixteen years, he'd yet to have any luck, but it wore him out often.

He liked to daydream about what might be inside more often than not. He really had no idea, as much as he wanted to have an idea. It wasn't all that big, but it was intricate, as if it held something extremely important to them. Jake had once thought that perhaps it was a keepsake, a number for a trust fund, something like that. But it did have some weight to it, and something did rattle around in it. It was not big, but it wasn't tiny either, that much he knew.

Sighing quietly, after an hour of playing with it, and failing, Jake set it back into his backpack, and zipping it up. Jake was fast asleep moments later, never shifting once until he heard Wheeljack belittling his footsteps. Though he knew Wheeljack was trying, it was hard to ignore. Jake felt more pressure on the bed, and something gently stroking his hair, most of all, he felt Wheeljack's eyes upon him. He hadn't ever noticed Wheeljack do that since they were on the road, but that night it felt good, very good.

Wheeljack himself smiled gently upon the sleeping boy. There was one night where he kept his promise, at least, he told himself. Now he just had to work on doing it like that every night, and hopefully, nothing would go wrong. Sighing a bit, he took a deep breath, aware that Fowler would be checking on them the next day to see how Jake was making progress. He had to admit, he was nervous, Fowler wasn't the social worker, but he may as well have been at this point. He could take Jake away as easily as one of them could, and he knew it.

"Goodnight, Jacob." Wheeljack whispered, laying a final kiss on the boy's head "I'll see you in the morning."

His holoform disappeared and the mech quietly stretched a bit. He couldn't face Fowler on little recharge, and at four in the morning, he needed the seven hours he had to do so. Quietly moving onto his berth, Wheeljack let his body relax, and his optics dim until he'd entered his recharge cycle. Tomorrow was definitely a big day for him and Jake, but he'd be ready for it.


	22. Late Bloomers

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

When text looks like **"THIS"**, Bee is talking. Just to make that clear.

...

**CHAPTER 22  
Late Bloomers**

Jake hadn't been ready to meet Agent William Fowler before, and that hadn't even changed now. Yet he was thankful for the smile on the man's face he was greeted with, and at least the fact that he didn't seem too mean. The man held out a hand to him and nodded. "Jacob Allan, I presume?" Jake only nodded as he shook the man's hand "William Fowler, it's nice to finally meet you." He added.

"Nice to meet you too, sir. I've heard a lot." Jake told him, though he hadn't exactly heard "A Lot" just some things here and there "I'm not entirely sure what this meeting is about though."He added.

Fowler nodded a bit, suspecting as much. He wasn't a social worker, he was a liason, and therefore Jake wasn't sure how he operated. "Nothing too bad, really. I just wanted to check up on how you're doing now that the whole 'bond' thing with Wheeljack is over." He explained, crossing his arms "Think of this as the pre-social worker meeting. I'm here to make sure you're being cared for properly." He added.

"You've been working with them since my Dad died. Do you honestly think they wouldn't treat me right?" Jake asked as politely as possible.

Fowler smirked a bit, in truth, just by that comment he knew that Jake was just fine. But, his superiors had to be sure, after all, the boy was being raised on a top secret military base right now. "Honestly, no. But I do need to be sure, the higher ups want to know." He explained, Jake nodded in understanding "So tell me about you and Wheeljack first, Jake. How is he treating you?" He questioned.

"Great, he's being a Dad. I'm sure you have kids of your own, so you know how that is." Jake explained.

"One, but he lives with his Mother in Colorado." Fowler replied, Jake nodded his head a little "Don't see him more than a few times a year, but trust me, I know how that is." Jake nodded his head a little "You have your own room yet?" He asked.

Jake shook his head in response, knowing better than to lie. "Not yet, it'll be done at the end of the week according to Bulkhead." Jake explained, knowing that the engineer was the one working on it "It's pretty cool, I've seen what they have so far. Bigger than I expected, but I'm not complaining." He said running a hand through his hair slowly "They've kinda really accepted me into this group faster than I expected." He added.

"Overwhelmed?" Fowler questioned.

"A little, I've never really been a part of this big a family." Jake shrugged honestly "Unless you count the orphanage, and I wouldn't even begin to call that a "family"." He admitted "Here I have Bee, who's kind of my big brother. Haven't had a lot of time with him, but the guy needs to take a breather with me when I do." He laughed a little "Bulkhead and Ratchet are like my Uncles. Except Ratchet would never let me get away with much." He admitted "And from when I've been around Prime. Hes kinda a second Father Figure of mine." He explained.

"What about Arcee?"

Jake wasn't sure how to respond to that, he'd hardly even seen Arcee. "I don't know much about Arcee. She lives with Jack and Ms. Darby, so it's a little hard, y'know?" He explained, shaking his head a bit "I haven't really had time to click with her yet, I guess." He explained "But she does seem to be really nice from what I've see." He explained.

"What would you say she is to you?" Fowler questioned.

"Well, she's only like in her early twenties in human years from what I know... So I guess an older sister. That's what Bee sees her as too." Jake explained, being completely honest "So I've kinda just looked at her as that. I don't know, maybe the older sister away at college type?" That got a chuckle out of Fowler, Jake chuckled too "Either way, I do like it here, it's pretty awesome." He added.

Fowler nodded his head, noting the honesty in Jake's eyes. He shook his head a bit, he definitely had not pegged the base as a great place to grow up. Yet, so far, it definitely at least seemed like Jake was very happy there. "Sounds like a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. But, I want to make sure you know something..." Jake looked at Fowler "Just because they're giving you a home. Don't think that you are obligated to stay. I know it's probably not the case. But some kids-" He began.

"I'd tel you if I wasn't happy here." Jake replied honestly.

"Fair enough, well it was nice to meet you, but I actually have to meet the big guy now." Fowler shook Jake's hand slowly, and nodded "We'll be checking in every now and then." He added.

Jake watched the Agent leave as his phone buzzed. Checking his phone, he noticed it was from Bumblebee. Jake smirked, it was how they'd begun to speak to each other, text message, he texted, and Jake verbally replied. Turning his head slowly at the young yellow mech, he shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, I've dealt with worse suits before." Jake replied, honestly "Raf with his family?" He asked, Bumblebee nodded in response "Want to go for a joy ride?" He asked.

He checked the text that came a moment later. **"Your Father and Prime would kill me." **Bee replied, speaking the words on the text, or rather, repeating them.

"Dad's on patrol, Optimus is with Fowler." Jake replied "You're supposed to be my big brother figure. Well, let me give you a crash course in what I know about my friend's older brothers. You're supposed to break the rules with me." He then shook his head slowly "It's like in some sort of rule book, or whatever." He explained.

When Jake looked up, he could see the look on Bumblebee's face of complete shock. **"You just understood what I said?" **The young mech questioned, Jake nodded, now stunned himself **"W****e should talk to Ratchet about it." **He added, confused beyond belief **"It's odd you're understanding me now." **He added.

"How is it that I can suddenly understand after-"

**"Don't know, then again, I don't know why Raf does either." **Bumbleebee replied honestly, his voice coming to Jake in the tone of an older teenager **"If I was going to guess. Some sort of bizzaro side effect of that bond you and 'Jack formed." **He explained, then added **"Buttt your Father could undersand me too. Maybe it just took you longer to start." **He explained.

"Dad could understand you?" Jake questioned.

Bumblebee nodded, indeed, before Raf had come along, Richard had been able to. He didn't know why Jake hadn't been able to before, but now could, but perhaps it was the time he'd spent on-base. After all, like Father, like son in some ways. **"Other than Raf, and now you, he was the only human that could." **Bumblebee explained to him **"And as for your 'rules' I'm still going to say no." **Jake rolled his eyes a little **"Sorry little man, but I'm not risking your safety like that, already did that with Jack once before." **He added.

"I'm not talking about a street race!" Jake groaned a bit "I just meant a joy ride, you know, through the desert? Do I look like a street racer to YOU?" He asked, a little offended.

Bumblebee looked more than a little embarrassed by the miscommunication. He was still learning young human's lingo, unfortunately for him, and though he was a teen himself, it would probably be a while before he fully understood. **"Now that I can do." **The mech replied finally **"But do you want to go fast? Or sound-barrier breaking fast, is the question?" **He questioned.

Jake grinned up at Bumblebee, but knew he had to check in with someone. Peering towards the Med Bay, Jake simply called out. "Hey Ratchet! Bee and I are going out for a drive!" He tried to sound as innocent as he could be knowing he wouldn't approve of the latter that Bumblebee suggested "We'll be back in like an hour or something." He added.

"You'll be back in AN hour." Jake rolled his eyes a bit at that "Or are you forgetting the bit of Decepticon activity this morning?"

Jake eyed Bumblebee, who shrugged at him, clearly, he wasn't going to go against what Ratchet said. After all, Ratchet was Bumblebee's superior and if anything happened to Jake, he'd be in deep trouble. "Alright _Mom_." Jake replied teasingly "We'll be back in AN hour." He added.

Jake was pretty sure that he heard the clang of one of his wrenches as he started to walk away. Jake only chuckled a little, Ratchet overreacted way too much, but he told himself that he'd apologize when he got home just to make him happy. Jake looked up at Bumblebee slowly, he took a deep breath, and crossed his arms. "Please tell me they were like this with you when you grew up in Iacon?" He questioned.

**"Worse, kiddo. You don't know how easy you have it compared to me." **Bumblebee replied with a roll of his optics **"Now come on, we have an hour out there, might as well make the most of it." **Bumblebee told him as he transformed down into his sports car alternate mode **"In fact... I have a better idea than joy riding."** He explained** "Learned to drive yet, bro?"** He asked.

"Nah, I have a permit though." Jake shook his head "Are you-?"

**"Just _don't _crash me."** Bumblebee replied as he opened up his driver's side door.

Oh yes, Jake would take the hour if he got to drive. This was most definitely going to be much more fun than a joy ride.


	23. Meaningful Words

**CHAPTER 23  
Meaningful Words**

Jake wasn't scared, he'd told himself that he wasn't and he was sticking to that belief. If he had just been in a car, he'd have been fine, but this was one of his caretakers, a living thing. Needless to say, the last thing he wanted to do was crash Bumblebee. Not only would Wheeljack kill him, but he'd be in deep trouble. **"Jake, relax." **That still new voice of Bumblebee spoke **"I was only teasing before, kiddo. If you lose control, I can take control easily." **He explained.

"Bee, I've only ever driven once or twice." Jake explained, pausing a bit "Are you really sure I should be getting behind the wheel of one of you guys?" He questioned.

He could feel the absolute hesitation in the mech's body. After being with Wheeljack in his alternate mode for so long, Jake could tell, very easily. **"Hey, you gotta learn sometime, and the sooner, the better." **Bumblebee eventually replied, his answer surprising Jake **"Don't worry, bud. I wouldn't be offering to teach you unless I was willing to take the risk." **He then added **"Now, I'm not going to interfere unless I need to. But you remember the review I just gave you, right?" **He questioned.

"Yeah, I think so." Jake nodded his head slowly.

**"Then go ahead, Jake, you're in control." **

Jake hesitated for a moment, nervous about hurting the mech none-the-less. But slowly, he turned the makeshift key that Bumblebee had in his ignition, settled the alternate mode into drive, and slowly pressed on the gas. To his surprise, but not so much to Bumblebee's it was a very smooth beginning to the drive. Was it the steadiest of starts? No. The slowest? Definitely not. But Bumblebee noted the smooth handling and gently pressure he applied. That being said, given Jake's speed, he was glad they were in the middle of the desert.

"H-How am I doing?" Jake questioned nervously.

**"Pretty good, maybe slow it down a little though. Ease up your foot a bit." **Bumblebee told him calmly, Jake started to do so, and his speed slowly went down **"That's it, remember, Jake, I go a lot faster than a normal car. You have to be a bit more gentle." **He explained, Jake nodded his head slowly **"Now, we'll drive around a bit before I start teaching you anything." **He explained **"You need to get used to handling an alternate mode, first." **He explained.

"Why am I going this slow, again?" Jake asked.

Bumblebee might have rolled his optics if he was in his real form. There was no way he was letting a sixteen year old with only a permit drive him at top speed. It could easily get Jake hurt, and him hurt all at once if he didn't take control in time. **"Because I'd like to do this without your Father, or any of the others offlining me for getting us hurt."** Bumblebee replied bluntly.

Jake chuckled a bit, but nodded in understanding. After all, Wheeljack was sort of a hard-ass, he wasn't the least bit surprised Bumblebee was intimidated by him. He did his best to continue to keep his speed down and his turning smooth as possible, definitely nervous, but hiding it. "Bumblebee."The voice of Optimus Prime came over the mech's com link "Are you still on Jacob duty?" He questioned.

Noting the time, Bumblebee sighed a bit. **"Yeah, he's driving me at the moment, but I'll turn us around here in a minute." **Bumblebee replied over the com **"Our hour isn't even up though, boss bot, what's up?" **He questioned**.**

"Deception Activity nearby." Optimus replied simply.

Immediately, Bumblebee took over control of the controls, surprising Jake. **"Sorry to be a buzzkill. But we got Decepticons nearby." **Jake sighed, a little frustrated **"Don't worry kid, next time, I promise to give you a proper lesson." **He added calmly.

Jake had a feeling that the Decepticons were going to ruin a lot of things in his life. Needless to say, he didn't like the sound of that, at all. "So, who am I roped with tonight? I know most of you guys have duty, including Dad." Jake asked, confused "Even Ratch-" He began.

**"Optimus."**

Jake nearly froze at this, Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots was his caretaker for the night? Needless to say, he was a little stunned. Though he supposed that they were all in a way taking care of him. It was only a matter of time before it became Optimus's turn to stick around him. He just hadn't expected the first day that Wheeljack was growing accustomed to working on Earth to be the day he stepped up to it. "That's... Gonna be interesting." Jake admitted quietly.

He just hoped that Optimus didn't find im a pain in the aft. He really liked the mech but he hadn't seemed to spend a lot of time around him, or care to usually. So, to say the least, if nothing else, he hoped the mech would like him. After all, he had called him a second Father Figure when talking to Agent Fowler. Now he had to wonder if Optimus would feel the same way.

...

It had been a long time since Optimus Prime had been left alone with a youngling on a base. Even longer since he'd basically babysat, as the last time he had watched over someone like this was when Bumblebee was growing up. Yet, Jake wasn't his adopted youngling, of course, he was Wheeljack's. This was, essentially, the reason he'd chosen to take over watching over Jake, to get to know the boy better. Jake had been a good kid so far, but he had not been able to really get to know the boy quite yet.

Currently, the boy had settled on a TV show in the rec room, relaxing against a sofa. Optimus had finished his paperwork, at which point he'd normally go out on patrol or scouting with the others. It took him a moment to remind himself that he had Jacob duty. "Jacob?" Jake nearly jumped out of his skin as he came up behind him "I was thinking of going for a drive, would you like to accompany me?" He questioned.

"I thought I wasn't allowed out with the Decepticons active nearby?" Jake questioned.

Optimus chuckled lightly, and Jake already knew why. This was Optimus, he'd probably be safe from a nuclear bomb inside of him. After all, almost all, if not all Decepitcons feared him on some level. "I think you'll be just fine as long as you're with me." Optimus told him with a nod "But I felt you might like to get out of the base for more than an hour." He added.

"Yeah, I guess I could go for a drive, going anywhere in particular?" Jake asked, climbing down from the loft.

Optimus looked upon the human boy thoughtfully, definitely needing to think that one over. Driving around endlessly as if on patrol wouldn't do anything for Jake, and frankly he needed to let Jake have at least a little fun. "Well, there is a spot that I enjoy going to on my nights off. As rare as they may be." Optimus told him, smiling a bit "Perhaps you'll like it too." He added.

Jake allowed Optimus to transform before climbing into his passengers seat. They spent the drive in silence, and Optimus could already tell Jake was a little intimidated. Yet he slowly came to a stop near the edge of a massive hillside. Jake climbed out of Optimus slowly, what he saw amazed him. It was definitely a city, but not Jasper, rather, Las Vegas. "Whoa, I didn't realize how close we were to Vegas." Jake muttered.

The city lights were probably the most gorgeous things he'd ever seen. Jake crossed his arms, and shook his head a bit as the transformed Optimus seated himself nearby. "Your world carries many beauties. And though nowhere near as big, this view reminds me of the view outside of my "hometown", Iacon." Jake turned to the mech slowly "This is mearly a third of that view, but just as beautiful." He added.

"If this is a third of it, I can only imagine what Iacon looked like." Jake muttered.

"It was quite the sight, indeed." Optimus nodded in agreement, his optics turned to Jake "Fowler told me what you said to him today."

Jake felt is face go red, he shook his head slowly. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I know it was probably a little weird." Jake shook his head a bit "But you really have been a bit like a Dad to me. I mean, yeah, Wheeljack's my Dad." He looked to the mech slowly "But the few times we've actually talked, I've felt like I can talk to you the same way I can talk to him." He added "I know it's weird." He added.

"Not weird at all, youngling. I have been a Father figure to many." Optimus replied politely "As one of your caretakers, I do believe you reserve the right to see me in whatever way you feel fit." Jake nodded his head a bit "Your Father saw me in a similar light himself." Jake looked up at the mech a bit "As I understand, you were not the only orphan in your family." He added.

"Ratchet said you two were a lot alike." Jake nodded.

"We were." Optimus admitted "Your Father was one of my closest friends. Just as he was Ratchet's." He explained "I had my suspicions you were his son, which is why, I must admit... I insisted on you being allowed to stay with us." He explained.

Jake nodded his head a bit, understanding. Optimus was not yet finished however, he took in a deep sigh. "They were good people, Jacob." He explained, Jake nodded a little "I don't want you to take what I said the wrong way. I am glad that you have come to live in our care, and I would have let you stay regardless." He explained.

"No, I get it." Jake nodded a bit "I'd fight just a little harder for a family friend too." He explained.

Optimus smiled a bit, and nodded his head slowly. Optimus stared at Jake, his optics full of thoughtful wonder. "I know that Ratchet sees so much of your Mother in you. But I see much of _him _in you." Jake looked a bit surprised, going by what he'd known about his biological Father "I believe you will one day make a great leader if you continue the path you are taking." He added.

"Me? A great leader. Yeah right."

"You laugh my beliefs off now, but I am normally a good judge of such things." Optimus replied evenly, his voice low and full of wisdom "Nothing happens by chance, Jacob. I believe in a plan, and I suspect that you are destined for great things." He noted, standing to his feet slowly "You carry with you the weight of the world. Yet you shed no tears, you handle even the darkest of times easily." He shook his head "Qualities that will someday, I believe, bring you more fortune than you understand." He added.

Jake took in the Prime's words, they meant a lot, as they would for anyone. "Thank you, Optimus. That... Means a lot." Jake nodded his head slowly.

"You are very welcome." Optimus sighed a little "We should return to base, your Father will be back soon."

As Optimus transformed, Jake took a deep breath. It had been one long, and interesting day. But one thing was for sure: He was almost positive he would never forget the words that Optimus just spoke.

...

A/N: I know, not any Wheeljack/Jake time the last two chapters. But I wanted Jake to interact with the other 'bots a bit. :) Reviews make my day!


	24. First Day

**CHAPTER 24  
First Day**

Optimus parked about an hour later, allowing Jake out. Wheeljack had already long arrived back at base, and smiled over. "There's my little man." He nodded, grinning widely "Miss me much?" He questioned.

Jake grinned, jogging over, and climbing onto the mech's outstretched hand. "Only a ton." Jake replied as Wheeljack gently lifted him to his shoulder, and he seated himself there "I think this is the longest we've actually been away from each other." Wheeljack nodded with a small chuckle in response "Bee and Optimus kept me occupied though, and it was fun!"

Wheeljack looked at Optimus and nodded slowly. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him tonight. I owe ye one."

"It was my pleasure." Optimus nodded his head a bit "I'm more than happy to watch him when I have a free day again." He then added, honestly "I enjoyed his presence."

As Optimus left, Jake for the third time that day felt himself blush. Wheeljack only smirked, knowing that Jake probably wasn't used to the attention he got on-base at all. Here he had a bigger group of people looking after him, and that cared about his well-being. In a way that made it a little overwhelming, whether he admitted it or not. "So, first day of school tomorrow, excited?" Wheeljack questioned.

"Ummm, is that a trick question? What kid is excited about school?" Jake questioned with a cocked eyebrow "It's school, you know? That thing that you go to for several hours and get lectured in?" He added.

Wheeljack rolled his optics, and this was coming from the kid who wanted to go for a full four years. Wheeljack shook his head a bit, and then looked Jake in the eyes. "Well you're going regardless, so make the best of it." Wheeljack poked the boy in the chest gently "Since you're the one who decided to start as a Freshman." He added.

Jake's nerves were making him really wish he hadn't decided to do that. Wheeljack smiled a little comfortingly. "I guess having all this time to think about it makes me nervous is all." Jake looked down a bit "I still miss my friends, Collin, Blake... All those guys. Even if I talk to them on the phone." He admitted "What if I don't make any friends here or something?" He questioned.

"Jake, you're going to do fine, kid." Wheeljack replied, calmly "Come on, you're gonna get a ride from ME tomorrow. And in case you haven't noticed. My alternate form? Is HOT." He added.

Jake broke out into chuckles at that, Wheeljack smirked, that had been his intention. The mech certainly knew how to cheer him up when he wanted to, and for that he was most definitely thankful. "Yeahhh Dad, I love you, but I don't exactly look at you in that way." He patted the mech's shoulder "You should find a girlfriend who could tell you that." He added.

"Oh ha-ha, you're so funny, kid." Wheeljack roughing up Jake's hair a bit "I think you should go to bed now though."

"But Dad-"

"Ah, ah, no buts. We've been over this Jake, you want to live as my son? You have to follow my rules." Wheeljack explained "I think that ten o'clock on weekdays, and eleven on weekends is plenty of time." He added.

Jake nodded his head and rolled his eyes a bit as he was lifted to the ground. Heading for their room slowly, he entered the room, and plopped himself onto the bed. Wheeljack knew that Jake was bummed, having wanted to spend time with him. But then again, they'd have plenty of time for that later. "I promise, my schedule will get easier." Wheeljack told him "But for now you need your sleep." He added.

"Fine." Jake groaned.

Taking a deep breath, Wheeljack looked down at Jake slightly. "Hey, we're going down to Greece tomorrow while you're in school." Jake looked up at Wheeljack, confused "We think the 'cons retreated there. Maybe I'll bring you back a souvenir?" he questioned.

"Really?" Jake's face lit up.

"Can't really get you anything with the government's money, but I'll find something." His holoform winked as he appeared "But for now, get some sleep, you have a big day tomorrow." He smiled a little, kissing his forehead "If I catch you up, I'll strap you to that bed." He added, his holoform disappearing.

"You can't strap me down." Jake teased.

"Wanna bet?"

Jake only grinned a bit, Wheeljack smiled a little in return, knowing he'd never actually do that. "Love you Dad." Jake finally relented, resting his head against the pillow.

"Love you too, kiddo. Get a good night's sleep."

Wheeljack clicked off the light in the room and exited. Jake couldn't help but feel nervous about school the next day as he laid there. So instead of letting it get to him, he reminded himself Jack, Miko, and Raf would be there. He wouldn't be alone, he'd know them, he told himself. Closing his eyes, he let himself fall asleep with that one comforting thought.

...

Jake already felt insanely intimidated. His backpack strung over his shoulder, com link on his belt, and phone in his pocket, Jake stood in the hallway with his schedule in hand. Wheeljack, believing in him fully, had packed him a lunch from the food they had on base. He'd offered him his "good luck" and driven off with all the confidence in the world in him. Well, at least that made _one _of them. Jake looked down upon his schedule quietly, who would have thought that the school would be as big as it was? It was hard just to find his first class.

"Hey." Jake jumped as he turned to find Jack standing behind him "You okay, man?"

"Oh, hey Jack." Jake bit his lip a little "Yeah, I guess so, I'm just a little lost."

Jack smiled a bit, and took his schedule slowly, nodding his head. "No worries, your class is on the way to mine, I'll show you." He told Jake politely "Don't worry, the school is big, but it's pretty easy to get around once you get used to it." He explained.

Jake nodded his head a bit, understandingly. Jake hoped to himself that his friend would end up being right. After all, he'd still never actually been to high school, it had been a long time since he'd even gone to school. "It's not going to be that bad, is it?" Jake questioned, Jack turned his head to eye him "I mean, I've never been to high school and all, and-" He began.

"Dude, don't stress it." Jack nudged his friend a little "Some kids are jerks, but they're that way in or out of high school." He added.

Jake had to admit, that did make a lot of sense. You couldn't avoid rude people, it didn't matter where you even went. Jake still felt his body tense up, he didn't want to screw up his first day, at all. "Well, here's your stop." Jack came to a stop in front of a class "Don't worry, it's just homeroom, you're going to be fine." He patted his back a bit.

Jake took a deep breath, but nodded, and entered the class slowly. He noticed the small size of the class, and the intimidation only grew. It didn't help what happened next, as the teacher looked up. "Ah, you must be the new student joining us today." Jake turned his head to the woman who was sitting at the front, behind a large desk "Class, we have a new student joining our campus today." Every eye was on him "As I understand, you're from Pennsylvania?" She asked.

Jake literally wanted to run, he was never good in crowds, even small ones. With every eye in the class on him he could feel his heart nearly beating its way out of his chest. Swallowing a bit, and turning to the woman, he finally found his voice. "Yes m'am." He replied politely, keeping his voice low "Just moved here about a month ago." He explained.

"Big move from there to Nevada." The woman pointed out.

"Well, my Foster Father is in the Military. He recently moved to a more permanent base." Jake explained quietly "I got a few Foster Uncles, an older brother, and a sister on there too, so it's kinda-" Jake felt his color flush from his face "But yeah, big move." He added.

"Well, have a seat anywhere, no assigned seating."

Jake made his way down a row of desks calmly, keeping his head down. Nearly tripping over his own feet, he stumbled into the nearest seat. "Hey." Jake nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to see a red-headed girl "I'm Sierra." The girl held out her hand politely, Jake only took it and shook her hand "Welcome to Jasper." She added.

"T-Thanks." Jake smiled "So what do we do here?"

"Nothing, really. It's theater, there's a reason it's just home room and we go once a week." Jake chuckled a little, Sierra grinned "Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's not exactly the most exciting class." She added "So where in Pennsylvania are you from? I have some family down there." She added.

Jake smiled a bit, shifting a little. "Umm, it's this small town, Capers Town. And I_ do_ mean small." He then added "It makes Jasper look like New York."

"Hey! I have a cousin who lives there!" Sierra stated, almost excited "Do you know Patty Renard?"

"Yeah! Of course, she used to date my buddy, Rick." Jake grinned "You're her cousin?"

By the time the bell rang, the two were deep in conversation. About just about everything, the school, the town, their families. As Sierra stood to head to her next class, she turned to him. "Hey, maybe I'll see you around?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah, totally." Jake replied with a small smile.

As Sierra left, Jake couldn't help but get a small peek at her 'assets'. Of course, he was just a guy, with hormones, and he couldn't help it. Jake had most definitely changed his mind, he was _definitely _going to like high school.

...

A/N: Couldn't help but fit Sierra in this. I actually love her character on the show, she's funny. :P


	25. Small Talk

A/N: Gah! Just realized Jack and Sierra have the same homeroom! Well, to avoid confusion, let's just say in this AU, they're in a new school year. :)**  
**

...

**CHAPTER 25  
Small Talk**

Wheeljack almost became suspicious when he saw Jake leave the school with Sierra, almost. It wasn't that he hadn't seen this coming, Jake was sixteen, he wasn't a little kid, he had hormones and feelings. What he hadn't expected was this on the first day, he definitely was not ready for it. He had just gotten used to being a parent again, and now Jake was pulling this on him. "Yeah, I'll definitely text you!" Jake grinned from ear-to-ear._  
_

"Oh wow, is that your Foster Dad's car?" Sierra piped up, looking Wheeljack over "Now, THAT is a sexy ride."

Wheeljack watched Jake's face go red, for reasons only he would understand. His holoform smirked a bit, maybe he'd shy away from the girl, and he wouldn't have to deal with this. "Yeah, he's got a pretty sweet ride, doesn't he?" Jake grinned sheepishly "Imagine driving cross-country in that." Sierra chuckled, at this point, Wheeljack honked "I'm coming!" Jake shouted, he looked at Sierra slowly "I guess I'll see you around?" He asked.

"Call me." Sierra replied.

As she waved and left, Wheeljack noticed the lovesick look in Jake's eyes already. Wheeljack didn't like that at all, there were too many things that could an would go wrong. Starting with the fact if she realized the family secret they'd be dragging another human into their war. As Jake climbed in, he eyed the boy calmly. "Think long and hard before pursuing that girl." He told him politely.

"Dad, if I-" Jake began.

"She'll find out about us eventually if you two begin a romantic relationship." Wheeljack explained, he looked at Jake "Two things could happen then. She would freak out, and break your heart... Or be okay with it, an therefore be dragged into our war." Jake looked down a bit "I'm not saying don't pursue her. If you like her, go for it. Just take it slowly, really get to know her first." He added.

"That's fair." Jake replied, nodding.

Hoping to cheer up Jake's spirits, Wheeljack smiled a bit. "I take it you had quite the good day though, eh?" Wheeljack asked, Jake looked over, and nodded with a smile of his own on his face "What did I tell you, bud? You had NOTHING to worry about." He noted.

Jake nodded his head in response, unsure of how to take what Wheeljack had just told him either way. And worst of all, now worried he'd never have a date. Would he be able to even have friends outside of the other allies? After all, his friends could just as easily figure out something was up if they could never come over to his house. "Hey." Wheeljack settled a hand onto Jake's shoulder "I didn't mean to scare you bud, You'll still be able to have a social life. All I'm saying is you'll have to be careful about it." He added.

"Did you read my thoughts through the bond again?" Jake asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I can't help it when you aren't talking, gets me worried." Wheeljack shrugged his shoulders a bit "You knew living with me wouldn't be easy Jake. I tried to explain this to you from day one. You can't invite your friends over or anything, sure." He then added "But you can still hang out with them. In school, in town, as long as you have someone with you..." He shook his head "You're really overreacting here." He added.

Jake felt his face blush, definitely understanding what he meant. He really had been overreacting, just because he couldn't invite any friends over didn't mean he wouldn't have friends, it was a silly thought. "Sorry, I guess I'm just getting used to the rules is all." Jake admitted, he shrugged his shoulders "I just wish you guys didn't have to hide yourself sometimes, y'know?" He asked.

"Oh trust me, I do too. One day, we might for all we know." Wheeljack replied "Listen, you know you can just-"

"I'm not leaving you Dad." Jake answered quickly.

Wheeljack stared at Jake a bit, surprised he'd even suggest he'd meant that at the moment. "Actually, I was going to say, you could just tell them that the base is closed to the public. There are some human bases like that." He shook his head "To my understanding, anyway." He explained.

Jake nodded, that made sense, no one would get upset at least if nothing else. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back against his seat. His mind was in other places following that, but mostly on how quickly his life was changing. He'd never imagined how hard doing this would be, but he knew it was all going to be worth it in the end. However, Jake did eventually turn to Wheeljack. "Why do I get the feeling you also just don't want me dating yet?" Jake questioned.

Wheeljack smirked slyly. "The sooner I can avoid talking to you about your version of 'sex' the better." He added.

"Oh God, 'Jack! I've been on dates before and Tom gave me that talk!" Jake said quickly, a little disturbed at the very thought "I love you big guy, but I don't think I want to hear that version of the talk, no offense." He added.

Wheeljack chuckled a little, he had a feeling Jake wouldn't. He knew close to nothing about the talk, or at least the human version, and would likely be reading it off of some website. "Yeah, I don't blame you, at all." Wheeljack winked a bit, and roughed up Jake's hair "Primus, you, my little one, need a haircut." He noted, Jake's face fell "Your hair is way too long." He explained.

"I like my hair long." Jake muttered.

"It drops over your eyes, and you don't look good with it. We're going tomorrow." Wheeljack told him flatly.

Jake had come to learn that you never questioned Wheeljack as a Father. He was the most loving an playful Father on the planet but when he said something like that, he was very serious. "Fine, fine. I'll cut my hair short again if it'll make you happy." Jake rolled his eyes a bit, Wheeljack only gave a triumphant smirk "Oh yeah, smirk all you like, I can still get emancipated." Jake teased.

"I can't imagine you giving up the chance to live with me."

Jake smiled, that was definitely true, the chances of him actually getting emancipated were zero. Yes, life would of course be harder, but he'd known that, he wasn't stupid, not by a long shot. Jake's eyes moved towards something nearby, grabbing Wheeljack's attention. "Jake, what's wrong?" He questioned.

"I swear I saw that red car at lunch today."

Wheeljack quickly moved his sideview mirror to notice the red sports car as it casually parked on the side of the road. It did look suspicious, but never having seen Knock Out before, Wheeljack simply took it as coincidence. After all, the Decepticon had turned off his homing beacon and therefore masked his signal. "Probably someone with a kid who goes there or a student. Don't worry about it." Wheeljack shrugged "I'm not getting any strange readings." He explained.

"You sure?" Jake asked quietly "Because I swear he was right by me."

Wheeljack felt his spark skip a beat at that, he didn't like the sound of it. The very thought that the Decepticons were still keeping tabs on Jake definitely worried him, especially after hearing Ratchet's theory. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed himself slowly. "If you ever see him again, call me and I'll show up." Wheeljack explained calmly "No need for alarm, but just to be safe." He added.

"It's weird, they've never followed Jack, Miko, or Raf." Jake muttered.

"They aren't actual family, family in spirit, of course. But not wards." Wheeljack was calm in explaining this to Jake "I never did totally explain this. But back in the war, I was... Well, i was a really feared Wrecker." He was quiet for a moment, though he knew they were after Jake for other reasons likely, it could have played a part too "I made a lot of enemies who would probably jump at the chance to hurt you to get to me." He admitted.

"Did you ever...?"

"Yeah, I killed people, we all have." Wheeljack admitted, not sounding very proud of it "But if there's one thing I can tell you, it's this. I'll never let them hurt you." Wheeljack eyed the boy calmly "I once stormed a Decepticon base, without weapons, and saved your eldest brother." Jake's eyes widened a bit "And that was before I even became a Wrecker." He shook his head "No matter what happens, and no matter who is looking to grab you. You can bet your sorry aft I'll save you." He added.

"Did you REALLY do that?" Jake asked, amazed.

"Bet your aft I did." Wheeljack nodded "Pried him right out of the hands of a Decepticon twice the size of your school." Jake's eyes widened even further, Wheeljack only smiled a bit "You have no idea how much my sparklings mean to me yet, Jake. I know I've been playful and all of that, I really haven't had the chance to show it for you." He looked Jake in the eyes "But I can honestly say, that I'd give my life for my kids, you included." He added.

"But I wasn't even around since they were sparklings like they were..." Jake blushed a bit "I'd think that I'd be on a different plain than you know..."

Wheeljack gave a stunned look at Jake, did he honestly think that? The mech couldn't understand or comprehend why. If you wanted to adopt a child, it meant you loved them just as much as you loved any child you'd Fathered. There was no question that Jake had a place in his spark just as much as every other one of his children, not even a small question. "You're as important to me as any of them Jake. I want you to never think that way again, got it?"

Jake was taken aback by the stern way Wheeljack had said that. But he did smile, and nodded very slowly. "Yeah, stupid of me, sorry." Jake grinned "I guess I'm just not used to having a parent." Wheljack turned to Jake "With Tom, he was obviously like my Grandpa." He looked out the window, silent for a moment "Every other Foster Home I went to I try to forget. I mean, if you knew some of the ways I was treated... You'd be down there ready to kill a few of them." he admitted quietly.

"I didn't know you went to more Foster Homes?" Wheeljack asked "I thought-"

"You only stay in the orphanage year-round if there are special circumstances." Jake shook his head "I was only there when I was between homes, Tom found me at one of those times." He was silent, Wheeljack looked over at him curiously "I didn't tell you about it, because I've been hurt, physically, and emotionally before... So I just said I was in the orphanage." He turned his head a bit "It isn't easy." He admitted.

Wheeljack could tell that Jake had had a hard time in the system already. While he could have asked, he knew reliving that could have bad results. Gently, he put a hand on his knee, smiling. "Well, you only have one home now. Mine." Wheeljack insisted "That's all that matters, right?" he commented quietly.

Jake only smiled a bit, and nodded. Thankful that Wheeljack didn't push further into his past. He still had scars, physical and emotional from one home in particular he was afraid to relive. And the last thing he wanted was for Wheeljack to hear about that.

...

A/N: Gah! Been a busy week for me, and it took forever to write this because of that. I may go deeper into Jake's time in the system eventually, but I will say it WASN'T all bad, I don't want to turn this into an angst/Gary Stu fic like that. The darker times are just a small part that stuck with him. :) Anyways, reviews make my day!


	26. Life Isn't Always Easy

A/N: Blah, just decided to explore Jake's past a bit more here, there'll be more to the story coming for sure though. :)

...

**CHAPTER 26  
****Life Isn't Always Easy**

Jake awoke to his own screaming that night, the sweat pouring down his face. His body was trembling, as it always did, grabbing him arms he carefully settled himself down. It had been almost three years since he'd had a nightmare, but that night, he had had one. He had to remind himself that he wasn't anywhere near that particular home, to remind himself that the belt lashes on his back were just scars, _only _scars. His eyes clenched together silently, he felt for Wheeljack's sparkbeat, the only thing he knew would calm him down at this point.

"Jake?" Jake jumped a little, and turned to find Wheeljack sitting up on his berth "Bud, are you okay?"

Jake wanted to nod, to tell Wheeljack to go to bed, but he couldn't. He shook his head, and continued to tremble slowly. It wasn't long before he felt himself in the palm of Wheeljack's hand. "Hey, hey, easy. Relax, I'm right here, whatever it is I'm right here." He whispered quietly "Talk to me Jake, what's wrong?" He questioned quietly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't... Mean to wake you up." Jake's voice was hoarse, and very quiet.

Wheeljack was gentle in stroking the boy's back. He'd seen this before, having been around orphans in the past, but he'd never thought he'd see it from Jake. The boy leaned into his touch, and slowly his body calmed down, though it lasted minutes. "Jake..." Jake peered up at the mech "Do you want to talk about what just happened?" He questioned.

"It's nothing." Jake muttered.

"I thought you were having a heart attack for a minute there."

Jake closed his eyes, and looked down for a moment. "You have the Decepticons as people to worry about. I had people I used to worry about too." Jakes shook his head a bit, he was unsure how to put it "Not all Foster Families are nice, like I told you." He admitted, he shook his head "There was this one woman, who treated the home like a jail... And she beat me with a belt." Jake shook his head "If I could tell you exactly what happened... I would but it's way too hard, Dad." He muttered.

Wheeljack looked at Jake quietly, unsure of how to handle it at all. Someone had actually done... Wheeljack now understood why Jake had remained quiet about life in the system, because he knew this story would be brought up. "If I didn't know it'd upset you, I'd be on a groundbridge there." He grimaced a bit, his anger rising "Jake, you know I'd never hurt you, right?" He questioned.

"Of course! Are you kidding me? I'd never think you'd even raise your voice to me." Jake replied.

Wheeljack didn't think that much was true, but he'd never strike him, without a doubt. In fact, if he saw anyone try to strike him, he'd probably break their hand in so many places they'd never be able to use it again. "Good, I just don't want you to think I'll end up like that." Wheeljack had clearly been worried that had been the cause of the nightmare "No one here would _ever_ touch you like that." He added.

"I know." Jake shook his head "Talking about Foster Care just brought it all back to me is all."

Jake looked down, he had had a lot of good homes. Lots of caring families who just couldn't take care of him full time. In all he'd had maybe three bad homes, but that one had been the worst, the one he couldn't forget or put out of his mind. "Something you're not going back to." Wheeljack told him firmly "I've told you this time and time again." He added.

"And what if they don't give you custody?" Jake questioned.

"Then I'll fix up the Jackhammer, and we'll leave this fragging planet." Wheeljack replied "I know of several planets able to sustain organic life that we could settle on easily." He was very serious in saying this, which surprised Jake "You're not leaving me Jake, you deserve better than what the humans can obviously give you." He then added "You don't need to worry about that." He added.

Wheeljack set Jake on the side of his berth, the boy stared up at him slowly. "Dad you can't do that, it'd be kidnapping and the others could get in serious trouble." Jake explained "I've been in great homes before, including here. So there's no reason to feel freaked out." He added calmly.

"We'd figure out some way to avoid legal trouble, trust me."

Jake looked at Wheeljack, his trust was definitely there, but he wasn't sure how he felt about it. A whole other town was one thing, but he was talking fleeing the planet. But then again, they weren't even close to being at that point yet, it was pointless to start to worry about it at that point. "Well, hopefully we won't have to go there." Jake told him calmly "We can be a family right here." He added.

"It won't, but it never hurts to have a Plan B." Wheeljack noted "If I can teach you one thing in life, it would be to always have one."

Jake turned to Wheeljack, nodding slightly in understanding. "What about Plan C?" Jake asked.

"If you need one you're kinda screwed anyway." Jake burst into laughter at that response "But in all seriousness? We're going to get through this either way." Wheeljack stared down at him "I really am sorry you went through all that you did." He admitted.

Jake shook his head a bit, and smiled at Wheeljack. "I went through some bad stuff, Dad. But I had some great families to. Loving ones, supportive ones. That's mostly who I went to. I was lucky to only have three bad homes." Jake shook his head a bit "And then, I found you, and let's face it. Despite all your faults, you were worth what I went through." He chuckled.

"Faults? Oh yeah, I have so many." Wheeljack noted.

"I can list them if you'd like." Jake smirked.

Wheeljack only shook his head a bit, and rubbed the boy's head gently. "I know I've done one thing right." Wheeljack stated, Jake raised an eyebrow "Crashing into that farm and finding you." He stated, his voice as soft as Jake had ever heard it "You know, right about now, I'd be somewhere far away from here. Probably fighting whatever creature I ran into. I used to call that the good life." He shook his head "But this is definitely the good life." He admitted.

Jake rolled his eyes a little in honest disbelief. "Oh yeah, because taking care of a sixteen year old is a lot better." He replied.

"A few months ago I wouldn't think so. But for you it's worth it." Wheeljack then added "Besides I have quite literally been to every galaxy, so a third trip around it can wait a lot longer." Jake's eyes widened, surprised at the statement "Maybe after you're adopted and graduate, might be fun, eh?" Jake nodded in agreement, unable to say anything "Or a little later, if other factors come in." He added.

"Could be fun." Jake nodded "Seeing the stars."

Jake's thoughts strayed, they were already planing the future. A future he was a part of. For the first time, he felt like he could maybe, just maybe forget that home. After all, he had been so young at the time, and now he had the base, this home, better than anything he'd ever had. He sighed, and yawned slowly, stretching a bit. "You know we haven't had a moment like this since we've been on the road." Wheeljack turned to Jake slowly, and nodded "It feels good." He added.

"You know I'm always here to talk when you need me, Jake." Wheeljack replied.

Jake nodded a bit, knowing full well of that, though he'd never taken advantage of it until now. It had taken him a while to realize this really was his home, and Wheeljack really was doing it out of love. But he'd finally accepted that he belonged there. "Guess it's just taken me a while to realize that I can talk to you about anything." He looked down "I just didn't want you to think that I was some sort of..." He paused "Victim." He added.

"You're my son, you have nothing to worry about on that side of things." Wheeljack smiled again.

Jake slowly started to close his eyes, snuggling closely to Wheeljack. Before Wheeljack knew what had happened, Jake had fallen sound asleep, his light snoring entering his audio receptors. He knew that Jake needed the sleep, he had school in the morning and he was clearly exhausted. All the mech could hope was that this time his sleep would be more peaceful. They really hadn't had a night like this in a long time, but he was glad they had. He needed to know these things about Jake, he needed to know his past. If only for his sake.

Slowly, Wheeljack felt his optics dim, and recharge settled over him. It would definitely be welcome that night.

...

Megatron tapped the edge of his throne lightly, staring at Knock Out. "He never leaves the presence of an Autobot? Or at least a large group?" Knock Out shook his head in confirmation "This does us no good, we need the boy alone, with the box. Do you not realized what's at STAKE here?" He questioned.

The red Decepticon medic took a few steps back at the tone Megatron had. "Of course i do, Lord Megatron. But I cannot grab the boy in the presence of many, the Autobots will too easily find out." Knock Out shook his head "I do understand what's in the box. But there's no telling, eve if I grab him that he'll have it on him. And then what do we have?" He questioned "A child as useless as the rest of their pets." He added.

Megatron hated to admit it, but Knock Out made a point, there were no guarantees. "We will need to lure them out of the base then. The plan will take time, but if we can do that, all it will take is sneaking in and taking everything he owns." Megatron was calm in his demeanor "We don't need the boy, as long as we get the box." He added.

"And if they leave the boy there?" Knock Out questioned.

"We shall cross that bridge when we come to it. As the humans say." Megatron then nodded "Now GO, I must formulate my plan."

As Knock Out nodded and left the room, Megatron stroked his chin thoughtfully. They would get the box, one way or another, it was no longer a question of when they'd get it, but how. And though such a plan would need to be thought through, an evil thought had already graced his processor.


	27. The Whole Story

**CHAPTER 27  
The Whole Story**

"He asked you to try out for the team?"

Jake nodded his head slowly at the stunned tone that Wheeljack said the sentence with. Truth be told, Jake was just as surprised with himself. Jake had never expected to actually decide to go out for the Football team, but he was going to. "Yeah, the coach was watching me during flag football. He thinks I have a lot of potential." He looked at Wheeljack "But I don't know, I mean some kids out there are HUGE." He admitted.

"We could help you bulk up!" Bulkhead chimed in with a grin "C'mon kid, don't get nervous. Yeah, you're skinny, but you're anything but weak." He returned to work on the device he and Wheeljack were working on.

Jake looked at Bulkhead, shaking his head. "You do know some kids out there are like, three hundred pounds, right?" Jake questioned, he shook his head "And besides, I don't think I want that as an extracurricular. I know I want one, but it's kinda suicide." Wheeljack nodded his head in agreement there "I was actually thinking of going out for the track team." He added.

"Hey! I was on the Cybertronian equivalent of that in my primary education!" Wheeljack grinned a bit "Remember that, Bulk?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, and your Dad was _good _too." Bulkhead chimed in "You should have seen Jackie, I mean he was all over the place! And this was under much more pressure than you'd be under." He explained "Me? I was a wrestler, as you'd call it. More my style, but Jackie, he was good." He repeated.

Jake only nodded a bit at Bulkhead's unnecessary rant. Jake crossed his arms, and shook his head a bit. "Not surprised at the wrestling thing at all, Bulk." Jake admitted, going by the size of the mech "But I don't think I'm comfortable doing that. I don't uh... I really don't like the idea of physically hurting someone or vise-versa." Knowing the story of Jake and the Foster Mother by now, Bulkhead knew why "I think I might go for track, easy, no violence, and fun." He shrugged.

"I wouldn't call it easy, but I don't think there will be violence and it will be fun." Wheeljack encouraged gently "I approve." He added.

Jake nodded his head a bit, he turned to Bulkhead, who almost seemed disappointed. "Hey, Bulk, don't sweat it, I'm just not a naturally violent person." Jake shrugged his shoulders "Just ask Dad what happened the one time he tried to teach me to fight." Jake felt himself cringe at the memory, it looked like Wheeljack did too "I'd tell you why, but I take it Dad already told you." He added.

"I had to hold him back from hunting her down this morning." Wheeljack admitted quietly.

"I was in our version of Foster Care too, I've been there." Bulkhead shrugged a little "Can't stand pit spawns like that." He admitted.

Jake nodded a bit, rubbing the back of his neck a bit. "As long as you didn't tell Ratchet, he's going to throw a fit." Jake muttered.

The look on Wheeljack's face said that he already had told him. Cursing under his breath, Jake knew he was going to be hearing from the medic before the day was over. He'd probably be hearing from Optimus before too long too. The latter, he had a pretty good feeling would be talking to him about the prospects of some sort of counseling that he was convinced he didn't need. "This is exactly why I said nothing before, to avoid this." Jake muttered.

"We do need to know this stuff, Jake." Bulkhead told him politely.

"I know you do, but I don't want you guys worrying about me. You have a war going on." Jake looked between the two of them "I'm your ward, I get that. I'm your responsibility. But I should come after the war, okay? Don't worry about it." He shook his head a little "I had one attack, and that was the first one in years, I'm doing fine." He explained.

"You're their ward, you're _my _son, I'm supposed to worry." Wheeljack corrected.

"You know what I meant."

Wheeljack nodded, knowing exactly what his son meant in regards to that. Jake wanted to face it himself, but had yet to accept that he didn't _have _to. Jake had gone through a lot of things that he probably didn't know about. Even with most of his Foster Homes being good ones, he had a feeling Jake's not-so-good ones were more than likely along similar lines as what he'd described the night before. "Look, I have homework to do, I'm going to go do it, okay?" Jake nodded, and headed off.

Wheeljack turned to Bulkhead, as if expecting he might know better than he did what was going through Jake's head. "Kids like him and I don't like talking about our experiences. And we definitely don't like any pity we get." Bulkhead shook his head "Eventually, he'll be able to talk about it, but right now... He's probably still getting over some of the things he went through." He shook his head "More happened in that house, if you ask me." He added.

"More?" Wheeljack questioned.

"Oh yeah, I know the look in his eyes like the back of my hand." Bulkhead shook his head "Give him time, he'll open up about it. But he's not going to do it right away. You've taken him here, and given him a home. But you've still only known each other a few months." Wheeljack nodded in understanding "He's going to come to you if and when he's ready to." He added.

"If?"

"Not every kid can open up about it, Jackie." Bulkhead shook his head "Sometimes it's too hard." He added "Now come on, Jackie, hand me the wrench." He added.

Wheeljack slowly handed it over, taking a deep breath, and shutting his optics a bit. He wished he could help, but for now, he'd take Bulkhead's advice, he knew better than he did. And Primus only knew what the consequences would be otherwise.

...

Jake felt like he'd been punched in the gut, there was no homework, he'd finished it already. But still, Jake didn't want to talk about what they wanted to. Taking a deep breath, and entering the med bay, he peered around for the one mech he knew wouldn't go at him about it. Ratchet was one of the few of his caretakers whom knew not to talk about things when Jake didn't want to. Of course, he was there, relaxing at a chair calmly. "Hey." Jake called out, Ratchet peered over at him "Got a minute?" He asked.

"Bulkhead and yer Father are trying to talk information out of you?" Ratchet questioned.

Jake smirked, Ratchet knew him too well at times. He along with Wheeljack seemed to be the only two who totally got him on the base. Jake slowly nodded, sitting on one of the berths a bit. "I just wish Dad would drop it. I'm doing just fine on my own with it, it was one nightmare!" Jake shook his head a little bit "Why do they all have to care so much?" He muttered.

"And that's a bad thing?" Ratchet questioned.

"Well... No." Jake fell silent for a moment "I just hate having people give me that look." He grunted.

Ratchet looked over at Jake quietly, shaking his head. "I knew a long time ago, you know that?" Ratchet admitted, Jake raised an eyebrow "You think I didn't notice the scars? The remnants of the abuse?" He peered over at Jake "I know the things I doubt you've even told Wheeljack yet, Jacob." He added.

"And you kept it a secret?" Jake questioned.

"They were scarce enough that there was nothing to cause worry." Ratchet explained "They're very old."

Jake nodded his head slowly, he looked off a bit. He was thankful Ratchet hadn't said anything, but knew he'd been bottling it up at the same time. "I was only six when they saved me from that hell." Jake shook his head a bit "Ten years is a long time, y'know." He explained, looking down a bit "You heard about the Mercer House, didn't you?" He questioned.

_Thunk_.

Ratchet dropped the wrench in his hand to the floor in an instant. He had heard about it while watching the human news one day, it was hard not to. It had been a horrible occurrence as well as national news. "You lived there? That was the Foster Home?" Jake nodded his head "Primus almighty youngling, how could you-?" he began.

"If I had told you, I'd be in therapy." Jake muttered.

"Like you _should _be." Ratchet explained calmly "Jake, she locked you kids in a _basement_." Ratchet shook his head, he turned to fully look at Jake right now "It's no wonder you have nightmares. Did she not starve you kids and beat you daily as well?" The silence was all the answer that the medic needed "Look at me Jacob." Jake looked up at him "Therapy is not a bad thing." He explained.

"I don't need therapy." Jake replied.

"Yes, you do. You can't go through that and not need therapy, it's impossible." Ratchet leaned forward, his optics piercing through Jake's eyes "I want you to listen to me, Jake. If you get therapy, it'll get easier than keeping it inside. And I swear I will go there with you if that's what it takes." He then added "But I will not take no for an answer." He added.

Jake was silent for a moment, he knew he didn't have any choice. Taking a deep breath, Jake only slowly nodded. "Alright, I'll go. But Dad knows NOTHING about this, I'll tell him the whole story when I'm ready." Jake was quiet in the way he said those words "Please." He added.

Ratchet looked thoughtful for a moment, but nodded. "Deal." He replied calmly "You should soon, though." He explained.

"Within the next two days, promise." Jake nodded.

He could only hope that Wheeljack would not end up completely flipping out.

...

A/N: And there is the full story behind Jake's nightmares. It took me a while to figure out what I was going to use, to be honest, but I felt this original idea stuck out most for me. Anyways, reviews make my day! :)


	28. Finding Out

A/N: WARNING: There is a fake article about child abuse within this chapter. You have been warned. It's nothing uber-graphic, but it does go into detail a bit.

...

**CHAPTER 28  
Finding Out**

Two nights later, when Jake was sound asleep, Wheeljack did his research. Jake had not told him much about the case, only the it was horrible, and he'd been a part of it, so Ratchet wanted him in therapy. The mech wasn't just taking that anymore, he was going to find out. Searching on one of Ratchet's consoles for "Mercer Foster Home", he found his query no more than two hours later, an old article-

"Ms. Danielle Mercer-40- a Foster Mother and so-called "saint" in her community, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Just last year, Mercer was arrested after a frantic 9-1-1 call by one of her foster children. The children were found, locked in a basement, with little-to-no food or water. There were visible signs of abuse, and starvation. Two boys died en-route to the hospital of critical injuries. There were three survivors, two girls and a single boy, all of whom's names are still not being disclosed to the public. Mercer was-"

Wheeljack could read no more without purging his tanks. He clicked the screen off, and slumped back into the chair. He had a cold, dead look in his eyes, and a feeling of utter horror clenching at his spark. Jake had been through that, yet he hadn't told him. Taking a deep breath, he quickly found a waste disposal area and purged, not caring who heard. How could anyone be so cruel, so vicious? He'd never even heard of a Decepticon doing something so horrific to children before, to someone so innocent and defenseless. "She's dead, you know." Wheeljack turned his head to Ratchet.

"What?" Wheeljack groaned.

"Danielle Mercer. About four years later some humans in prison got to her. They apparently don't take lightly to child abuse." Ratchet explained, staring at Wheeljack slowly "She is very likely rotting in what the humans call "Hell" as we speak." He explained "Jake is very lucky to be alive, however. They found that the boys were treated worse than the girls." Wheeljack was silent "He's very lucky to have found Tom, and later, to have found you." He explained.

"I can't do this Ratchet." Wheeljack muttered doubtfully "Jake needs so much more than I could possibly hope to give him." He shook his head slowly "I've never dealt with this kind of trauma before." He muttered.

Ratchet crossed his arms slightly, leaning against the wall a bit. He looked his friend in the optics, and shook his head. "You're giving him what he needs, love, stability, and family." Ratchet shook his head "If you leave him now, you'd be worsening the trauma he has." He explained "It's going to be hard, especially with the Decepticons after him. But please, trust me, Wheeljack, as a medic I know what I'm speaking of." He explained.

Wheeljack was silent for a moment, he didn't know exactly what to say. "And this therapy is going to help him?" Wheeljack questioned.

"It sure is. I know the man well, he's very good at what he does." Ratchet replied, honestly "Jake is going to be in fantastic hands, needless to say."

Wheeljack nodded his head slowly, trusting Ratchet's word, especially when it came to Jake. After all the medic cared about Jake just as much as Wheeljack did, he had a connection to him. "Alright, I'll continue on. I just... I don't want Jake to be in the wrong hands with me." Wheeljack shook his head slowly "He deserves a good life." He added.

"Does he not have that here?" Ratchet questioned "I'm almost certain he loves being here. And we've already passed the 'home inspection' portion of his adoption." Ratchet looked Wheeljack straight in the optics, the Wrecker nodded slowly "I'd never say this if it was not just the two of us. But you did the right thing Wheeljack." He told him calmly "Bringing him here." He explained.

"I never thought I'd hear those words out of you." Wheeljack crossed his arms a bit "But, I hope you are right, Primus knows I've had enough screw ups in my life. Ruining Jake's life is the last thing I want aded to that list." He admitted, taking a deep breath "Listen, Ratchet, I've been meaning to appoint one in case I do get custody of him." He paused "You want to be his Godfather?" He asked.

"I'm not-"

"Ratchet, if I'm not going to doubt myself, you have to do the same." Wheeljack encouraged.

Ratchet stared at Wheeljack quietly, he sighed a bit. He knew that Wheeljack couldn't exactly handle Jake on his own, he hadn't been a single parent before. He'd always had his bonded there. If Ratchet became Jake's Godfather, Jake would have another parental figure to go to. Wheeljack needed the help, and Ratchet definitely cared about Jake enough to do it. "I think... It's what his parents would have wanted." Ratchet replied, quietly "I'd be honored." He added.

"Thank you, Ratchet." Wheeljack nodded "I think they'd want it too, even though I never knew them." He added.

"You two going to kiss or something?"

Both mechs rolled their optics as they turned to see Jake, who was leaning against the doorway. Wheeljack shook his head, but Ratchet simply shook his head. "He... Is most definitely not my type." Ratchet admitted with a chuckle, Jake stared at him with surprise "Don't give me that look." Jake opened his mouth to ask the obvious question "It was a joke, Jacob. I have a 'wife' out there who I'm most certain I love." he added.

"I didn't even think you guys had sexualities." Jake added.

"We have children, and spouses, of course we do. I have a friend who's.. "Gay" as you would call it, he and his partner have been together for many vorns." Ratchet shrugged his shoulders "Shouldn't you be in bed however?" He asked "Rather than asking about our biology?" He questioned.

"You guys are like two doors down and loud, can't blame a guy for waking up." Jake shrugged a little.

Wheeljack rolled his eyes, and scooped his charge up slowly. He almost commented on the news story, but chose not to. He knew Jake would rather not have it be brought up. "Well you don't have to worry about that, because you are going to bed, and so am I." Wheeljack yawned lightly "Night Ratchet" He added.

"Goodnight."

As Wheeljack and Jake left the room, Ratchet took a deep breath. He turned towards the screens, and turned them back on, taking a brief look at the monitors before turning it off. He needed recharge too, and to forget the horrible revelations that the past two days had brought them.

...

The silence Jake woke up to was odd for Jake, it was never a quiet weekend, really. He'd only spent a few weekends with the Autobots, of course, but he had quickly learned things were even worse on the weekends. Yet, he had a feeling nothing was wrong, there was definitely not an ounce of tension in the air, at least. Making his way towards the rec room calmly, he found Optimus nearby. "Hey." Optimus turned his head "Where is everyone?" He asked.

"Your Father is on patrol, the others are out on a scouting mission." Optimus replied, nodding a bit "Just the two of us today, I hope you don't mind." Jake shook his head, not minding at all "Do you have any plans today?" He questioned.

Jake shrugged a bit, he didn't have a lot going on. "I was thinking of calling Sierra, but I really don't have much in the way of plans." Jake admitted, then stared up at Optimus "Why? Did you have something in mind?" He questioned.

Optimus looked at Jake for a moment, still uncertain of if he should be doing this. But he did have Jake duty with Ratchet buried in some form of paperwork. As a result, bringing Jake along on his short trip was the smart thing to do. "I need to groundbridge to Europe for a meeting in an hour." Jake's eyes widened "Ratchet is busy with paperwork and cannot watch you. So I thought you might like to accompany me." He added.

"Would that be allowed? I mean I have a passport and all, but-"

"No need to worry, I won't be going anywhere restricted." Optimus shook his head a little "All I have to do is meet with a couple of officials in the United Kingdom. It will be an isolated place, not a lot of sightseeing." He then added "But I believe it might be better than being confined to your room for the morning." He added.

Jake crossed his arms a little bit, definitely understanding where Optimus was coming from. If nothing else, being confined to his room definitely did not sound the least bit exciting. "I'd love to go, I mean if it's okay to go, why not, right?" Jake smiled widely, nodding his head "Just give me like ten minutes to get ready, get my passport, all of that." He nodded.

"Of course, go get ready and meet me in the front hangar in ten minutes, then."

Jake nodded a bit and jogged off. Optimus knew that it would come as a bit of a surprise to the officials, but it was nothing a quick explanation couldn't explain. After all, nothing was likely to go wrong over the course of an hour long at the most meeting. Unless Jake acted 'smart' a little bit like he could to the wrong people, but he trusted the boy to be on his best behavior, he knew Jake knew to behave when he needed to.

Or at least, he hoped he was right.


	29. Altercation

**CHAPTER 29  
Altercation**

"Best behavior."

Jake rolled his eyes as he climbed out of Optimus's cab to those words yet again, but nodded slowly. He knew that he could be sarcastic at times, but Jake wasn't dumb enough to be that way with any officials. Sighing a little, he peered around the area they were in, it looked like a small outdoor base, though he might have been wrong, he had only been one base in his life after all. Optimus simply transformed behind him, and nodded slightly. "The base you are on is our overseas base. We rarely use it, but it is a back-up, just in case." Optimus explained "Which is why you could come with me." He added.

"Figures, I have access here too, I guess?" Optimus nodded, and Jake smiled a bit "It's a pretty nice place."

And that it was, on top of the large, grey building, there was the surrounding area. Trees, sand, a beach, the ocean was glistening in the moonlight. That was something that took Jake a while to realize, it was evening there as opposed to morning back home. "So, is there another team here or something?" Jake questioned.

"No, the Autobots you live with are all that are on Earth."

Jake nodded a bit, he had figured it was the answer, but it was still worth asking. "Optimus Prime, it is good to see you." Jake turned his head as a bald man with a big smile came to greet him "I thought you were coming alone." He noted, nodding at Jake.

"Colonel Dylan, I'd like you to meet Jacob Allan." Optimus nodded to the boy "He is under the protection of, and living with my team. As of right now, his Foster Father is out on patrol, and I have agreed to watch him." He then added, calmly "I hope it will not be a problem, he is likely to simply spend him time in the rec room or by our beach." He added.

Dylan turned to Jake with a smile that the boy hadn't expected. Though he couldn't be too sure of whether or not it was a smile because anything else could get him stepped on, or honest friendliness. "Jacob, I've been debriefed on you. Being I run things here." Dylan smiled a bit, he shook Jake's hand slowly "I was good friends with your Father, as well." He added "It's nice to finally have the chance to meet you." He added.

"It's nice to meet you too." Jake nodded "This place runs without the Autobots?"

"Of course, this is a normal military base normally. The Autobots simply use it as an overseas base as well." Dylan explained, Jake nodded, at least somewhat-understanding "I'll-" Jake went into his pocket, and handed over his passport "Smart kid." Dylan looked it over briefly, and handed it over "There's a mess hall inside if you're hungry, it's right next to the rec room." He then nodded "Check in with the general who should be near there. He'll give you a visitors pass." He explained.

"Thanks." Jake turned to Opitmus slowly "You-"

"Go on, have fun."

Jake grinned and jogged off towards the base as Optimus turned to Dylan. "You have one of those gaming consoles, the Playstation 3, correct?" He asked, Dylan nodded "I'm going to have a hard time getting him to leave when the time comes." He chuckled a little.

"Well, should we start our meeting?"

Optimus nodded, following the man slowly as he prepared for his debriefing.

...

Jake had already accepted he was lost. The massive base was far different than the one they lived on, with more hallways than he could count. It was definitely a full-out military base, because it was nowhere near the simplicity of the Autobot base. A hand on his shoulder nearly made him scream, but as he turned, he saw only a soft featured face. "Whoa kid, didn't mean to startle you." The man who the face belonged to told him "Are you Jake?" he asked.

"Yes sir." Jake replied.

"I'm Private Richards." Richards replied, with a nod "Dylan was afraid you might get lost, so he sent me to find you." He then added "Looks like he was right." He added.

Jake blushed a little, embarrassed by the fact he couldn't find his way around the base. "Yeah, uh, the only base I've been around is the Autobot one, and this is way bigger than that." He looked the man in the eyes slowly "I was actually looking for the rec room." He added.

"Right this way."

Richards led him down the hallway calmly, Jake trailing somewhat behind. It wasn't that he didn't trust the man, but rather that he didn't know him. Jake was usually a good judge of character, but with the solid faced military man he just couldn't tell. "So, you like video games?" Richards asked, Jake looked up, and nodded "You're gonna love the rec room then, we got a mighty fine collection." He explained.

"Don't suppose you guys have Kingdom Hearts or anything?"

Richards smirked a little, it was the first time Jake had ever seen emotion from him. "Oh yeah, we got those games. Believe it or not, the General is a huge fan of them." He shrugged his shoulders a bit "We also have most of the Call of Duty's, a few pinball machines, and some of the rail gun games." Jake nodded his head slowly "Believe me kid, you'll never want to leave." He added.

"Yeah, I already got that figured out." Jake laughed a little.

"So, you live with the Autobots?" Richards asked, Jake nodded again "Lucky kid."

Jake smiled a little, unsure of how to respond to that. "It has it's moments where I feel unlucky." He admitted "The whole secrets thing kinda sucks. But otherwise?It's pretty damn awesome." He admitted "I could do without the whole Decepticons for some reason looking for me though." Richards raised an eyebrow "We caught them stalking me near my school." He added.

"Like the Autobots would let anything happen to their ward."

Jake nodded in agreement, knowing that Richards was right about that. He knew that he was safe with the Autobots, but he couldn't help that sometimes he was nervous, very nervous. "Can I ask you a question, Private?" Jake questioned, the man nodded slowly "Why is it that they even keep their identities secret if a whole base knows they exist?" He explained.

Richards looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned his head. "The government does not believe the public is ready for them yet, simple as that. Not even our families know about their existence. They think we work on a normal base." Jake nodded his head slowly, understanding "I think they'll be known someday, but only when the leaders of the world give the okay, if you know what I mean." He explained.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Jake nodded again "So, how much further?"

Richards opened a door slowly, and Jake got his answer as he was greeted with the rec room. Everything promised was there, along with couches, pool tables, and just about everything that was in Jake's dream house. It was most definitely a step up from the Autobot rec room. "I think the General is playing pool. He has the visitors pass for you. Mess hall is through THAT door." He pointed to a door nearby "Have fun." He added.

As Richards left, Jake took a deep breath, silently hoping he knew what he was doing here. All he could do was slowly make his way towards the pool table, and hope for the best.

...

The fist connected hard, and Jake knew that this just wasn't his day. He wasn't even sure what he had done, or if the young officer had simply decided to pick on him. But he had known that calling him a 'dick', along with other choice words after the young man laughed off the fact that he was living with the Autobots had been a mistake. "Get up!" The seventeen year old officer snapped "Or am I going to have to yank you up?" He added.

"I'm not going to fight you." Jake muttered as he pulled himself up.

This time, he dodged the violent swing of the young man's fist. What in the world the General was doing, he had no idea, but he did know that he was in trouble. The officer swung again, but this time, connected with Jake's jaw, sending him against a pool table. "That'll make this easy then, punk." He added flatly.

Jake didn't like violence, but grabbing a pool cue off the table, swung it hard at the officers head. The young man staggered back, as he bled from the side of his head, stunned by the fact Jake had just used a weapon. Lunging forward, the young man went at the armed boy, and looked ready to attack again. As Jake threw the pool cue back slowly, a voice got his attention. "JACOB." Optimus's voice was unmistakable "Put the pool cue down." He added.

Jake was quick to do as the mech said as his holoform entered. The man was tall, with short black hair, and the most piercing blue eyes Jake had ever seen in his life. He was the bulkiest holoform he'd ever seen too, complimented by his truckers attire. Optimus simply gave a cold hard stare at the officer, who looked stunned. "You're lucky I don't report you here and now." Optimus said coldly "I suggest you return to whatever it is you were doing." He added.

"Optimus, I-"

"We'll talk about this back at base." Optimus interrupted.

It was the first time he'd ever heard disappointment in the leader's voice, and he hated it. He knew why too, Jake had pretty much just assaulted a man with a pool cue. Regardless of if he had been fighting back, it was wrong. As it was self-defense, he wouldn't be in legal trouble, and he knew it. But in trouble with the Autobots? That was another story. "But-" Jake began.

"It's alright, Jacob. I know what happened." Optimus noted, he shook his head slightly "It doesn't excuse your use of a weapon." He noted, holding the broken pool cue "But you're not in trouble. I simply want you out of here." He noted.

Jake nodded his head slowly, thankful for that. He rubbed his jaw slightly, the pain was still there, but it was slowly subsiding. "Perhaps when we get home, you can tell me what this was about." Optimus replied calmly "Lest we get into legal trouble." He noted.

"He deserved it." Jake muttered.

"Jacob, I have a feeling it all-together could have been avoided." Optimus's voice was stern "Come on."

"Yes sir."

For some reason, Jake knew a talk about walking away was coming. He just hoped that Optimus may take it easy on him. Taking a deep breath, he followed Optimus back out, rubbing his jaw slowly.


	30. A New Complication

**CHAPTER 30  
****A New Complication**

Jake felt like he was under persecution in a way. Ratchet had been fuming from the damage to him, first off, and actually commended him for fighting back. Wheeljack however, to his surprise, especially since it was well, Wheeljack, looked disappointed in him. "Jake, I get fighting back... But with a pool cue, and against a military officer?" Wheeljack shook his head "You can't just do that, Jake." He added.

"You would have done the same thing." Jake argued.

That got him a look that Jake knew meant "Don't go there". Jake had never seen Wheeljack act like such a parent, but he had known Wheeljack could do it, he just didn't know it was going to happen so soon. "Jake, I get why you fought back. But you should have walked away and/or gotten help." He looked at the boy calmly, Jake was still on a medical berth, so Ratchet was also quietly listening "You're not in trouble, but you do need to calm your anger down, Jake." He added.

"I'm sorry." Jake stated quietly.

Wheeljack took a deep breath, and nodded slowly. But after a few moments, he let a grin spread on his face. "You did give him a good beating though, didn't you?" Jake grinned with a small nod "That's m'boy. Though don't let Optimus know I said that." He winked a little, taking a deep breath "From what I heard the jerk had it coming. But I had to tell you that lest I get a lecture myself." He snorted.

"So I'm not grounded or anything?"

"I'll take away your computer for a week and we'll call it even." Wheeljack replied "You still assaulted a military officer, so I have to punish you somehow."

Jake groaned a bit, he didn't like that at all. But Jake knew that Wheeljack made a point, he was just lucky the officer wasn't suing him or anything. Taking a deep breath, Jake finally nodded his head a little. "That's fair." Jake avoided mentioning the fact that he hardly ever went on it anyway "I'll need it for homework though." He added.

"Only time you're allowed on it." Wheeljack replied "Catch you on it for anything else and that time you WILL be grounded."

"Yes sir." Jake nodded slowly.

"Now go on, go hang out with the others if you want."

Jake nodded slowly and exited the room. A smirk slowly appeared on Ratchet's face as the medic chuckled, he'd never seen Wheeljack act so Fatherly before. Normally, he acted more like a friend, and less like a Father with Jake, but clearly he could definitely be both. "I think that's the first time I've seen you act like a real Father." He noted politely.

"You kidding me? I enforce bedtime too." Wheeljack shook his head a bit "I like being a friend to my kids. But I sure as pit do not act like that all the time." He explained calmly "I'm far from the fun all the time parent I sometimes act like. If they ever come to Earth, ask my two eldest about the Callus Roads incident. Their reactions will be horrifying." He explained.

"Oh believe me, I will." Ratchet took a deep breath "Kid was right to attack that man, you know that?"

Wheeljack nodded a bit, knowing it was true. "But I still don't want him to always resort to violence. Which is the point of the lesson." He explained, Ratchet nodded, understanding a bit "I'd rather he scream for help over bashing someone on our side over the head with a pool cue." He explained flatly "I think that I went easy enough on him, though." He added.

"The kid hardly goes on the computer." Ratchet shrugged.

"Exactly." Wheeljack chuckled a bit.

Ratchet only rolled his optics, almost wanting to take back what he said. But also understanding that Jake was probably not the best person to be harsh to, they all knew better than that. "How do you think your other kids will react to Jake?" Wheeljack turned his head "I mean, after all, this was a very sudden decision for you, was it not?" He questioned.

"I think they'll welcome them into the family pretty easily." Wheeljack shrugged "I raised my kids right, and I'd hope they'd treat him with kindness."

Ratchet nodded in understanding, he hoped they'd treat him right as well. Jake was barely adjusting to them slowly and if his other kids showed up, Primus knew that would be just as hard if not moreso. "I hope you're right, because after all, you may have to cross that bridge at some point." Ratchet took a deep breath "Optimus has an open invitation to any Autobots after all." He explained.

"Indeed. And I have no doubt my kids are coming at some point." Wheeljack nodded.

The mech was admittedly dreading that day slightly. He knew it wouldn't be easy in the least, the kids had never been around humans before. And suddenly they'd be sharing their Father's love with one. It would definitely require a lot of explanation when the time came. "Hey Dad." Wheeljack turned his head as Jake peered in again "Want to play some one-on-one?" He questioned.

Wheeljack smirked. "I'll catch ye later, Ratch." He nodded.

Ratchet nodded back as Wheeljack headed off to play the game of basketball. He knew that was definitely on Wheeljack's mind, but knew everything would be okay. After all, no one knew if his kids would even arrive soon, and until they did there was no use borrowing trouble. Taking a deep breath, the medic returned to his computers, he had work to do, and this was not part of it.

...

Jake's first night in his new bedroom came that day. It was definitely much different than he'd expected. It was large, with a desk, several bookcases, a large bed, and on top of it all, posters. They definitely had paid attention to his love of movies as he found all of his favorites hanging up. Jake was awestruck, definitely loving it, more than he'd expected to, and that was saying something.

Jake had never had a room this amazing, so, suffice to say, it made him feel even more welcome than before. "I kinda designed it." Wheeljack noted from behind him, Jake turned his head slowly "I hope you like it, because, well... It's very YOU I think." He looked a little nervous "I haven't designed a room for a kid in quite some time though." He added.

"I love it." Jake replied before he could go any further "I've just never had a room this big." He muttered.

Wheeljack nodded a bit, understanding where his Foster Son was coming from. "I wanted you to have a space in the base all your own. Ratchet and I have the med bay. Optimus has his office. Bulkhead has his engineering room." Wheeljack looked thoughtful "You deserved to have a place in here, other than the rec room that you could call your own." He explained.

"You spoil me a little too much." Jake chuckled.

"Only because I love you." Wheeljack replied with a smile "I have a weakness for my children, you should know this by now." He added.

Jake nodded a bit, seating himself on his bed as he looked around the room. On top of the mentioned things, there was his closet, a large wall-mounted TV, and a new Playstation 3. If Jake had ever had a dream room, this would have been it. It made him feel right at home even though he wasn't able to quite express that fact into words. "Dad, this is... Amazing." He finally stated "I can't thank you enough." He added.

"Best part is you're right next to me. If you ever need me, I'm a second away." Wheeljack explained "If I'm not around, Ratchet's right across the hall, or at least his berthroom is. And Bulk's on the other side of you." He smiled a bit "You have the best security system a kid could ask for and you don't even have to pay." Jake chuckled a little at that.

"Well, that's definitely good to know." Jake nodded a little.

Jake knew that this would be an adjustment, he'd always been around Wheeljack for months. Now he finally had a room to himself, a space to call his own. More than anything else, he loved the idea of having this whole big room to himself. "I'm gonna miss bunking with you." Jake admitted, Wheeljack smiled a little "But I'm not complaining about this room." He explained.

"Well, you should get some sleep, son." Wheeljack nodded a bit as Jake climbed into the bed "I have work to do." He explained.

"Everything okay?" Jake questioned.

"Everything's fine. One of my inventions kinda-ish blew up." Wheeljack chuckled nervously "Ratchet wasn't too happy when it took the power out earlier, so I think I need to go and make sure that doesn't happen again." He explained, his holoform kissed Jake's head gently before disappearing "Thankfully, I won't be going out on patrol tonight." He added.

"Good, because last time you kinda came back with dents." Jake muttered.

"We're in a war, Jake. I got into a scuffle with Vehicons, it happens." Wheeljack replied "Try not to worry about me, okay? The worst that's going to happen tonight is I get covered in oil." Jake nodded his head "Goodnight kid." He added.

"Goodnight."

As Wheeljack exited the room, Jake sighed a bit, looking around the new room slowly. He sighed evenly, it definitely felt good to have a room at last, and even better to know that Wheeljack would be there the first night he was in it. Slowly, he closed his eyes, and allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep. He didn't even notice the tiny spy that had managed to cause the blackout long enough to sneak onto base.

The small Decepticon rummaged through his backpack, finding the box slowly. As it reached forward, the shock pulse that shot through it nearly fried its circuits. Slowly looking down on it, and then at the sleeping boy, the small drone looked thoughtful. It was too small to grab the boy, but somehow, someway, it knew that Jake was the only one who could even touch it. Whatever the technology used to make the box was, it was made to respond to his DNA, to his touch.

A new complication had definitely arisen.


	31. Mother's Day

A/N: With Mother's Day coming tomorrow I REALLY wanted to write this chapter. I thought it was something fitting for a fiction like this. I personally have grown up WITH a Mother, but I can't imagine what it's like not to. So I dedicate this chapter to anyone who has not had a Mother growing up, or has lost theirs along the way. :)

...

**CHAPTER 31  
****Mother's Day**

Jake sighed a bit as he noticed the date. It was one day before Mother's day, a holiday he had never really celebrated. Well, he had, but he hardly remembered it, after all Jake had lived with Tom since he was eight. Jake sighed a little, it no longer bothered him really, he'd accepted a long time ago that there was nothing he could do about that. He'd just have to look anxiously forward to his first Father's Day with Wheeljack, now that, he admitted was something he looked forward to, a lot.

This year though was a little harder. Jack and Raf were comparing notes about plans, and even Miko, who didn't have a good relationship with her host parents had plans. Wheeljack noticed the look in his son's eyes as he watched the proceedings. "You know, we could go out of town on Sunday." Wheeljack noted, Jake looked up at him "Go have some fun on our own." He added.

"You have work." Jake replied, shaking his head.

"I can take the day off. I know days like this have to be hard." Jake nodded slowly, Wheeljack eyed him a bit "I know it sucks, we can't bond with a 'wife' more than once in life. And mine is well... Dead." Jake looked over at him "I know it's probably especially hard knowing you'll only-" He began.

"You're a great single parent. Don't sell yourself short." Jake interrupted.

Wheeljack smiled a bit, every time Jake refered to him as his parent or Father, it brought a smile to his face. Not all Foster Parents connected to the kids, he was clearly doing something right, if it hadn't been clear by the fact they had a lot of love and trust. "I don't want you to be miserable on Mother's Day either, though." Wheeljack told him calmly "Anywhere you've always wanted to go?" He questioned.

Jake looked thoughtful for a moment, he turned to Wheeljack slowly. "I want to go back home." Wheeljack raised his optic ridges "The Government has fixed everything. And on Mother's Day. What I'd really like is to go back there, just to see my friend, Josh." He looked forward "He lost his Mom years ago, and... We used to keep each other company." He added.

"Do you have Josh's number?" Wheeljack questioned.

Jake smiled, which definitely relaxed Wheeljack quite a bit. "Yeah, I could give him a call. Tell him we're on the road there now so he doesn't suspect something's up." Jake then added "You and his Dad will get along great by the way, similar personalities." He explained "Plus he's been kinda wanting to meet you. He and Tom were close friends...And yeah, y'know." He explained.

"He wants to make sure you're being cared for and loved?" Jake nodded in response "I'd like to meet him then as well, calm his fears a little bit." He nodded a bit "No doubt you left in such a hurry a few friends parents worried." He then nodded "Why don't you give them a call now tell them we'll be there at about noon if they want to meet up." He noted.

"Thanks Dad! You don't know how much this means to me!" Jake grinned, he dialed the number and jogged off "Hey Josh! Guess what?"

That was about all Wheeljack heard before Jake had jogged towards his room. Wheeljack felt quite good to be able to make Jake that happy. He'd offered to take him to his parents, whom they knew the resting places of, in the past. But as Jake had said he wasn't ready for that, he had avoided asking if he wanted to visit his Mother. This however, sounded like something that would at least be just as nice.

He just hoped he'd get the man's approval. As he had a feeling that it was something he'd be wanting if he wanted Jake to have a continuing relationship with this obviously good friend.

...

Wheeljack felt like he had come home too that day, in a way. The small town that he had lived in the barn of for two weeks felt almost nice to be in. Josh and Richard Patton lived in a small country house, with a basketball hoop, and several more rooms than he'd expected. It was much different from Jake's old home, but still had that familiar home feel. "So..." Wheeljack turned his attention away from the two teenagers playing basketball to stare at Richard "How are things going?"

Wheeljack was quiet for a few moments, unsure how to answer that. "Great, actually. Jake's adjusted well, and he's calling me Dad, introducing me as such." Richard stared at him with a look of pure surprise "Jake is doing very well with my family as well. They all love him like he was their own, help him with homework when I'm working..." He shakes his head "And I'm more than happy to call myself his Father." He added.

"Not adopted Father?"

"What does adoption have to do with anything? I love him as if he were my own flesh and blood." The human saying was a little weird to Wheeljack, but he was careful to use it "I would take a bullet for him." He shook his head "As far as I'm concerned, Jake isn't "adopted" he's just my child. And that's all he'll ever be." He admitted "He's every bit as important to me as every one of my other kids." He added.

"Good outlook." Richard nodded a bit "He tells me you're a military engineer?"

Wheeljack nodded a bit, he crossed his arms. "It can make things hard at times, if that's what you're asking. I haven't been a parent in a VERY long time." Wheeljack explained, he was quiet for a moment "I can be rough around the edges, impatient... But at the end of the day, I'm only that way because I care about him." He turned his head to Richard "If you're worried that I beat him, I would never so much as raise my hand to him." He noted.

Richard nodded a bit, clearly believing what he was saying. "I offered to let him stay with us when Tom was dying. Which is why I was asking." Wheeljack turned his head, and nodded a bit "I had planned to try and adopt him, but he was... Gone, obviously." Richard paused a moment "I was almost ready to call the police out of panic." He admitted.

"As I've said, I was given him within hours of Tom's death. We had to leave quickly, as I was in the process of moving." Wheeljack begin to spin his tale, turning to the man "We were very busy packing the first few days, and on the road the rest." He shook his head "I apologize for the stress we caused you. But I promise, I will allow him to visit as often as possible." He noted.

Richard nodded, he was quiet for a moment. "So if you don't mind me asking. Where is Mrs. Jackson?" He questioned.

"Dead, for some years before I even took Jake in." Wheeljack was quiet for a moment "Our youngest child was abducted when he was barely a few months old...They never found him, and, she couldn't... Well she couldn't live with herself." He was quiet for a moment, and for the first time in years spoke of it "I found her, with a bullet in her head, and a note asking me to forgive her." He was quiet after that.

The look of sympathy that Richard gave him surprised Wheeljack more than anything. "I am so sorry, I had no idea." Richard shook his head "Jennifer... She died in a car crash, some drunk driver t-boned her and, her car hit a tree." He was quiet for a moment "Josh... He can't even remember her, he was barely two years old." He shook his head a bit "This holiday has always been hard on us." He explained.

"My condolences." Wheeljack replied quietly "It must have been hard."

Richard nodded in agreement, his eyes moved towards the man calmly. "It was very hard, being a single parent is never easy. But Josh ended up okay, or at least, I like to think so." Richard shook his head a bit "And when... Times get really hard, I like to imagine that she's still here, albeit in spirit." He smiled a bit "Somewhere up there she's watching over us." He added.

"When I doubt my abilities to raise Jake, I feel the same thing."

It was the truth, sometimes he'd swear he'd glimpse his lost love in the corner of his optics. He'd swear he'd hear comforting words in his audio receptors, or every one in a while, her gentle hands on his shoulder. "But I'm glad we could come here for Mother's Day. Jake had such a hard time dealing with not having a Mother to celebrate with." He shook his head a bit "I think I needed it a little bit myself." He explained.

"Well I'm glad you both could come too." Richard nodded "You both should come around more often."

Wheeljack nodded, he had to agree, he liked Richard, and Jake seemed happy. He supposed every few months he could take time off to bring Jake down for a small visit. "I'd love to when my job allows it. Perhaps for even longer next time." Wheeljack smiled a little "I want Jake to still have a relationship with the people here, after all it is where he grew up." He noted.

"That's definitely good." Richard nodded "And Will?" Wheeljack turned to him "Don't worry about being a single Dad. If you ask me, I think you're going to make a great one." He noted.

As Richard walked off towards the kids, Wheeljack smiled a bit. Somehow, even despite this feeling on the human holiday, he truly felt comfort in the man's words. He simply had to hope that what he said would be true.


	32. What Family Really Is

**CHAPTER 32  
What Family Really Is**

Jake could not believe he had just had a fight with Wheeljack. It had been such a small matter, he had pulled a small prank with Bumblebee. A small one that had pretty much cut off power to the base for an hour. Wheeljack had never been so angry as he was a that point, even going as far as to yell at him. Jake had hid in his room after that, worried that Wheeljack, though he hadn't grounded him, would now have second thoughts. It had happened before, he'd fought with Foster Families and been kicked out soon after.

Slowly clutching his teddy bear quietly, he thought back to the story behind it. When he'd been old enough to ask, he'd been told it was the one thing that he had been brought to this first Foster Home with. It was the one thing he had of his parents, and even though it was raddy, old, and some of its fur was missing, it had always been a source of comfort, especially now.

A knock on his door caught his attention as Wheeljack poked his head in. "Jake?" He questioned, Jake looked over at him "We still need to talk-"

"Don't say it, when does social services come?" Jake questioned.

Wheeljack's spark dropped at that, wondering if he really had gotten that angry. Not only would he never call Social Services unless he had to, but it would never be for _that _reason. "Jacob, social services isn't coming." Wheeljack looked at him slowly "Why would I want to get rid of you over a fight in which we both lost our tempers?" He questioned.

"It happened twice before." Jake looked down a bit "I'm not really your kid so I figured you wouldn't be as... You know, okay with fighting."

Wheeljack forgot the lecture he was about to give almost at once. Of course, the lecture would come, but for now, he activated his holoform, and gently stroked Jake's hair. "Jacob, I don't care that we had a fight. Well, that isn't true, I do care, it upsets me." Wheeljack looked him in the eyes "But I don't care if you're "just" my Foster Son. I love you with every ounce of my spark." He was calm "Please, promise me you won't even SUGGEST that I'm sending you back again." He added.

Jake stared at Wheeljack, confused. "But... I broke a huge rule and I fought with you over it." Jake finally spoke again "I'm not your real son so why would you-" He began.

"Jake, there's an old saying. Family is not who gives birth to you. It's whom loves you and cares for you." Wheeljack interrupted, he looked the boy in the eyes "Yes, you're not my child of my own protoform or energon. But you are my child through here." He pointed toward his spark calmly "You mean every bit to me as all of my other children, and I want you to remember that." He added.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Jake was quiet for a moment.

"I understand, completely." Wheeljack replied, looking Jake in the eyes "But I'm not getting rid of you." He sighed a little bit "But we still need to talk about the prank." He shook his head "You've never acted out before, son. You want to tell me what's wrong." Jake looked down a bit, feeling bad now, but avoiding Wheeljack's gaze "Jake?" He questioned.

"Some jerk in school..." Jake was quiet for a moment "We're doing these family trees for school." He looked at Wheeljack "And I mentioned that you and my "Uncles", "Aunt", and "Brother" had no other family." He explained, his throat went dry "Some kid brought up that "It wouldn't matter anyways, he isn't your Dad, it doesn't count"." He muttered quietly "And because..." He bit his lip "I guess the man was racist." He muttered.

Wheeljack was starting to ge the idea. Indeed, he has an African American holoform, and in terms of humans that was what he probably would be the equivalent of. Wheeljack felt a bit hurt that someone would say something so cold and cruel to Jake. Did the children of Earth not understand what it meant to be an orphan, to have to wait for someone like Wheeljack to come around and genuinely want him?

"Jake, there's always going to be idiots like that. Whether it's because of how my holoform looks." Wheeljack paused "Or, if and when I eventually get to reveal myself because of what I am." He looked down a bit "You can't act out like that though. It might have been okay in other homes when you had problems but here. We're ALL family." He looked him straight in the eyes "Everyone here loves and cares about you, if I can't spare time to listen, they can." He put a hand on his shoulder.

"They don't all love me." Jake shook his head.

"Well, Arcee doesn't know you well. But I know for a fact that Ratchet does, heaps." Wheeljack stared him in the eyes "If Ratchet didn't he'd be shouting for you to be kicked out by now." He then added "Bee is STILL in Prime's office, trying to convince him that it was all him, and you just helped. Because he hated to see us fight." He then added "Primus knows Bulkhead definitely loves ye." He then added "And I think Optimus was pretty close to crushing that Military guy the other day." He added.

Jake nodded a bit, the mech was right, he should have just gone to them. He nodded his head a bit, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, you're right." He said quietly "I was really stupid to do what I did." He added.

"You're forgiven. But you're also grounded for a week." Wheeljack replied "You can just start your punishment from earlier in the week over again. And add TV, video games, and friends to the list too." He added.

Jake looked into Wheeljack's eyes and nodded his head a bit. Inside though, the words of the classmate still stung a bit. The project was worth a huge chunk of their grade, which didn't help matter at all either. "What am I going to do about the project, though?" Jake shifted a bit "I don't want to be the only kid that doesn't do the project and has to like an essay or something." He muttered.

Wheeljack frowned, he definitely knew where his son was coming from. Especially considering the kid who had said what he did, he really wanted to shut that kid up more than anything. If they were on Cybertron, he could do a lot of digging into his past, but Cybertron was gone, and this was Earth. "Well, that isn't exactly easy, kid. I grew up in an orphanage too you know." He replied "And my records were gone with Cybertron." He admitted.

"It's okay..." Jake nodded "I figured."

Wheeljack sighed, Jake didn't have a lot of luck here. His parents had been orphans too, according to Ratchet. If one were to be honest, the Autobots were probably the only family the boy had at all. "I don't know what to tell you, Jake. There's not a whole lot I can do." Wheeljack leaned against the beds headboard a bit "Unfortunately outside of you and my brothers... I don't have any family, and you know that." Jake nodded "I never thought it would even be a problem." He admitted.

"Dad, it's fine, I get it." Jake replied.

Wheeljack nodded his head a bit, and sighed a little, getting up. Noting the sadness in Jake's eyes, he took a deep breath. "Just make that one week grounding for the computer two weeks. Forget the rest." Wheeljack noted, definitely understanding the acting out, all things considered "Just... Don't do it again, alright?" Jake nodded "I love you, Jake. I hope you know that." He noted.

As Wheeljack left, he felt worse than he ever had before. This brat who had teased Jake was going to win such a cruel comment, something that he wished wasn't the truth. "He does have one family member here who has family." Wheeljack turned his head to find Optimus standing there "I heard it all." Wheeljack nodded "My family does not have the most exciting or thrilling past. But I can step in in this instance." He noted.

"Prime-" Wheeljack began.

"Of course, my family was my adoptive family. But it's still something, is it not?" Wheeljack stared at Optimus "I want to help in any way I can. And perhaps it won't be entirely the truth that it is his family." He then added calmly "But I believe that being we've all "adopted" him in a way. It is only fair that someone who can provide him with a family history, does so." He noted.

"And what would I be on your tree?" Wheeljack questioned.

"A distant cousin." Optimus replied "It is not easy, but one of my adoptive Uncle and Aunts never had children." He noted calmly "We simply fill you in as their adoptive child, and thus, the problem is solved." He noted.

Wheeljack stared at Optimus a little, he smiled, and nodded. Optimus definitely exceeded his already amazing reputation as a kind mech, being willing to do such a thing for Jake. "Thank you Optimus, that'll mean a lot to Jake." He nodded his head a bit towards the door "You should probably go in there and tell them. He's taking it pretty hard." He added.

"It would be my honor. No thanks necessary." Optimus smiled.

As Optimus made his way towards the door, Wheeljack smiled a bit. His words to Jake couldn't have been any truer. Family was definitely not the people who gave birth to you always. This, right here, people like Optimus who were willing to help him out when he needed it in such a way. _This _was family.


	33. The Fate of the Child

**CHAPTER 33  
The Fate of the Child**

Two weeks later, with a court date moved up thanks to Fowler's help, Wheeljack was in court for Jake's adoption hearing. The judge was unaware, entirely unaware of his secret, yet, still new there were special circumstances. His holoform had dressed in a suit, and Jake had also dressed as nicely as possible for the hearing. Waiting was the worst part, waiting for their names to be called so that the hearing could begin. When they heard their name called, it only became even more frightening, Jake could even feel his stomach churning.

"So we are here, to discuss the future of you Jacob Allan. Currently in the care of William Jackson, whom wishes to become his legal Father." The female judge spoke, taking a deep breath "I'm going to make this easy, the paperwork is all here. You've gotten through home inspection quite well." She smiled a bit "There are a few things that need to be gone over. Jake was in the care of Tom Roads last. Tom has surviving family members. Are any present in this court to contest the adoption?" She asked.

Fowler, acting as their attorney, even if he barely had minored in such in College, stood up. "No, your honor. When I contacted them over a month ago, they told me Jake was only his legal charge. They wanted no claim to him." Jake looked down at that, it wasn't the best thing to hear "He did have one family member interested in taking him, but... Times are too tough." He noted.

"Very well, then this adoption hearing will proceed." The judge looked upon Jake calmly "Jake, you are old enough to know what adoption is." Jake nodded his head a bit, quietly "Tell me, after all these years in the system, what does it mean to you?" She questioned.

Jake had not expected that question, at all. He felt gentle hands on his shoulders, and took a deep breath. Wheeljack's touch was always calming, whether he understood why or not. "All it means to me right now, is finally having a family." Jake admitted, nervously "Will's my Dad, and I want that to be real. I don't... I don't want to be afraid of being send back to a Foster Home anymore." He then looked up at Wheeljack "Adoption means to me that I have a Dad and a family forever." He added, simply.

"And you feel loved, safe, and secure in his home?"

"Yes your honor, I do. I've never felt any more like that than I do there." Jake shook his head slightly "I've never really felt at home anywhere. I did with Tom, I guess. But it never felt the same way as it does with Will." He looked down a bit "I've never been that great with words, to be honest." He looked at her "But I really want to be in his family. And I can't put it in any better way than that I feel like I belong there." He added.

"And Mr. Jackson." Wheeljack looked up slowly "You've never adopted before. But you have your own children." Wheeljack rubbed his son's arm gently "Do you promise this court that you will love Jacob as you own? That he will never be less important than your own kids?" She questioned "It is a big commitment to make the jump from Foster to Adoptive parent." She added.

"It'll be my honor to raise this boy and love him as my own." Wheeljack replied honestly.

The Judge nodded her head a bit, noting the honesty in Wheeljack's eyes. "Then I see no reason to hold this off any further." The judge stated calmly, smiling a bit, she stamped a paper calmly and looked up "By the power invested in me, and in the eyes of all, state of Nevada or otherwise. I hereby grant parental rights of Jacob Allan to William Jackson. He is now to be recognized from this day forward as Jacob Oliver Jackson." She then nodded "Congratulations to you both, I hope you both have a very happy life together." She added.

A million emotions swarmed through Jake's body at once. It was as easy as that, he was now adopted, he was really Wheeljack's son. He felt Wheeljack pull him against him in a tight hug before gently kissing the top of his head. Jake felt weak at the knees and tears filled his eyes in rivers. Sixteen years of waiting for a parent, wanting and wishing for one, and here he was, adopted. "You're mine now, bud." Wheeljack whispered "No need to cry." He added quietly.

"I'm just so happy..." Jake whispered back "I never thought this would happen to me."

A man came, and handed over Jake's adoption paperwork, which Wheeljack wasted no time starting to fill it out. Fowler made his way forward, and set a hand on Jake's shoulder. "You're really lucky, kid. You're getting a really good family, and I hope you know it." He then looked him in the eyes "Just keep in mind, Jake. I'm treating you just like the rest of Team Prime, now." He grinned.

"I don't think that's a bad thing." Jake smiled.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder again, Jake turned to find Wheeljack standing there. He was certain he hadn't ever seen Wheeljack as happy as he was at that moment, and he knew it was for the same reason he was. After months of knowing each other, and growing a mutual trust and love, Jake was finally his, Wheeljack was able to hug him proudly and say he was his youngest son. Jake only hugged Wheeljack tightly, not wanting to let go for fear that if he did, it would all end up being one long dream.

"Welcome to my family Jake." Wheeljack told him calmly "Let's get you home and tell the others the good news, shall we?" He questioned.

As Wheeljack pulled an arm around his son and the three left, he felt a newfound security. Jake was his, no one could take him away from him. And at least for now, he knew his worry was over.

...

Jake felt a whole new feeling as he entered the base that day. It was no longer his Foster Home, it was his home, and it felt strange, but in a very good way. He no longer felt like a burden on anyone, which did happen on occasion. Rather he felt he belonged there, that this was his home, and no one could take it away from him. Taking a deep breath, he laid himself against the couch int he rec room, having changed into his more casual clothing. His eyes closed, he took in the happiness of finally being Wheeljack's son.

It felt even better than he'd ever expected it to. And that was really saying something. The feeling of no longer having a family to call his own was gone now, something he had very much looked forward to. "So this is where you ran off to." Jake jumped and sat up as Wheeljack entered the rec room "Needed some time to take it all in alone?" He questioned.

"Well, it is a lot to take in." Jake shook his head "I mean, I've been an orphan for a long time."

"Not anymore, and you have the legal documents to prove it." Wheeljack seated himself beside Jake slowly "You're officially the baby of the family now, my young one." He gently wrapped an arm around Jake's shoulders "I don't think I've honestly been this happy since your eldest brother was born. I can't even describe the feeling." He added.

Jake leaned against Wheeljack, smiling happily. It felt different being in his arms now, he felt even more loved and cared about than ever before. Jake felt more than happy about it too, he was finally in a permanent family. One that he hoped wouldn't die like Tom did, one where he knew he was wanted and belonged. "I just can't believe this actually happened." He shook his head a bit "I mean, when Tom became my legal guardian, it was great. But to be someone's actual son is just... You have no idea." He stated quietly.

"I'm glad I got to give you that." Wheeljack nodded.

"I don't even know how I can thank you." Jake admitted, shaking his head "You've had so many kids already, and decided to take me. I... I wish I could thank you somehow." He admitted.

For this, the holoform disappeared, and Wheeljack's real form made his way over. He wanted to talk to him with his own form, the mech crouched low, and stroked his cheek gently with a forefinger. "You don't need to thank me at all, Jake. I just want you to have a happy life, and enjoy what I give you." He then added "You having a life you're happy with now will be all the thanks I need." He grinned "Deal?" He asked.

Jake nodded slowly, and smiled widely. "Deal." Jake agreed.

"Now come on." Wheeljack scooped his new son up gently, and set him on his shoulder "I believe the others want to throw a little party in celebration. June's even headed over with a cake." He then added "Let's stop being so serious about all of this and enjoy it." He then added "You've earned it, and I think I have to." He added.

Jake only nodded slowly, amazed anyone would want to celebrate at all. Yet he did like the sound of it, he really did, celebrating this moment definitely sounded good right about then. Smiling a bit and leaning against his Father's neck, he allowed himself to relax. "Yeah, a little bit of a party does sound good right now." Jake smiled "I love you, Dad." He said quietly.

"I love you too, Jake."

And for the first time since Wheeljack had started saying it, Jake really believed his words.


	34. The Adjustment Period

**CHAPTER 34  
The Adjustment Period**

Jake quickly learned that being adopted had its blessings and the opposite. Between the school having to go through the process of changing his records, the ten thousand questions, and finals closing in, Jake was definitely having a hard time. Wheeljack was having his own trouble adjusting. He was already looking into the PTA next year now that he actually was a full-on parent, he had to make sure that every bit of paperwork was filled out. Mostly he had to worry about residence changes, making sure it was filled out with what was his cover "home" adress.

Ratchet had paperwork to fill out too, considering he was also now taking over as his Godfather. There was a lot of paperwork for that, usually in reference to the fact that if Wheeljack passed, that he understood that he'd be in charge of taking care of Jake. On top of this, both had to make sure that from here on out, they were his emergency contacts. So by the end of a week of this, Wheeljack was definitely ready to finally relax, having finished it all. With Jake's school getting out the next week, he definitely looked forward to having a chance to get quality time now that he really was his son.

Wheeljack had noticed for the last few days that Jake and Sierra were getting closer. With Jack and Miko starting to get closer, Jack hadn't really minded, to Arcee's surprise. Though Wheeljack had been too busy to wonder, he did know that Sierra was interested in Jake. Inside, he wondered how much longer it would be before the two inevitably started dating. It was just one more thing he had to worry about, Jake dating, something that would be hard. But he was ready if that were to come up over the summer.

As he entered the boy's room to him texting, Wheeljack grinned a bit. The TV was on, and Jake was relaxing on his bed, but of course, he was texting. He knew that Jake had gained his confidence over the last three weeks, even before the finalized adoption. "Hey, got it all done." Wheeljack noted with a grin, Jake looked up and grinned back "Tell Sierra I say hi." He added.

"How did you-?"

"I know you well enough by now, bud." Wheeljack grinned a bit "You get this one little look on your face when you text her." Jake rolled his eyes a bit "So, still feeling excited?" He questioned.

"Do you even have to ask?" Jake chuckled.

Wheeljack chuckled as well, seating himself near the bed and eyeing the TV. "So summer's almost here. Looks like we'll have a lot of time to ourselves when I'm not working." Wheeljack grinned, Jake nodded a bit, smiling slightly "Looking forward to that, or what?" He asked.

Jake nodded slowly, though inwardly, he was nervous. They hadn't had a lot of time just to themselves, and now that he was adopted. He couldn't help but worry that he might do something to screw it up. "So did you pull yourself from the Foster Care system?" Jake questioned, Wheeljack turned his head "I mean-" He began.

"No, I actually didn't. Took a lot of thinking, and I'm no longer an "active" foster parent." Wheeljack explained "But you never know if I may decide to have another kid. I can't seem to stop." Jake laughed a little at that "I don't know, something to think about for the future I guess. After you've grown up and left the base for a few years though." He explained.

"That's great." Jake grinned "Want to help kids like you, I guess?"

"Exactly." Wheeljack nodded.

Jake tried to imagine how Wheeljack would do it considering the kids would have to know what he was. Jake had been lucky, he'd already known, but for some kids it may be a serious shell shock. "I hope you know what you're doing there, all I'm saying." Wheeljack smirked and nodded "But I think it's great. I mean, you've done a great job with me. Got me out of my shell, helped me be a kid again." He chuckled a bit "But what happens if your kids show up at some point?" He asked.

"Your brothers, you mean." Jake felt stupid for not referring to them as such after that comment "Well, I'm hoping I raised them well enough that they know that their old mech has more than enough love to go around." He then added "After all, they have a new little brother already. And I do think you'll fit in just fine, if you ask me." He added.

Jake only nodded again, he hadn't even thought of that. He had some older siblings out there that he had to hope would accept him as a part of their family. That was what worried him most now. That they'd show up on Earth, take one look at him, and wonder what possessed their Father to adopt out of his own species. "Hey, they're going to love you." Wheeljack stated, as if reading his mind again "Don't worry about it." He added.

"As long as they don't mistake me for you adopting a pet." Jake replied, Wheeljack chuckled a bit "No, I'm serious here. Small, cute, cuddly organic? They aren't going to ask if I'm the new family pet, right?" He questioned.

Wheeljack had to stifle his laughter a bit, but understood Jake's concern. "Not unless they want to be clocked upside the head." Wheeljack finally replied "Seriously Jake, you worry about the weirdest stuff for a kid your age. I'd think by now you'd be asking me if I was getting you a car." Jake looked about read to ask that, but Wheeljack wasted no time with the answer "No." He added, then questioned "Why all the worry suddenly, Jake?" He asked.

Jake shrugged a bit, but knew Wheeljack wasn't about to take that. "I don't know, I've never... Been a permanent part of a family before. I guess I'm just worried I'm going to do something to screw all of this up." Jake took a deep breath a bit "I mean I'm now the youngest of several kids, Dad. Kids who've known you longer, and that you know better." He shrugged a bit.

"And I love you the same as I love them." Wheeljack looked at Jake "Think of it this way, Jake. If I didn't love you the same way I loved them, I would have put you in the system. If only on the grounds that your life might be easier." He shook his head and crossed his arms "This is your home, we are your family. And that is never going to change, understand me?" He asked.

Jake smiled, the way Wheeljack said those words really did strike a chord with him. Though Jake had fears, and he couldn't help that they were there, it was nice to know that his Father was so firm with his stance on Jake's place in his life. "Yeah, I hear you. I guess I'm just a little paranoid, sorry." Jake replied, quietly "I know I'm being stupid about it." He added.

"You're not being stupid, I understand how you feel."

Jake nodded a bit, yawning and stretching before turning to look up at Wheeljack. "You know for a moment in that court... I really thought they were going to say no." Jake admitted, Wheeljack raised an eyebrow "Or you were. And when you said yes, I think it was just such a shock to me that I'm still getting used to the idea." He took a deep breath "I mean, like it or not, we had a lot working against us." He explained.

Wheeljack nodded a bit, picking up a picture with two fingers carefully. It was of the two of them, their first day on base. Wheeljack himself had a Transformer-sized holopic version of it in his office. "Yeah, we sure did." He shook his head "Feels like just yesterday we came here and Fowler was having a fit." Jake laughed a little "Changed his mind quickly, eh?" He muttered.

"Yeah, I got lucky there." Jake replied.

Yawning yet again, Jake rested his head against the pillow. He was tired, and he knew it, the last week had been a long one, and he definitely needed a long rest. Feeling the blankets move over his body, he smiled a bit. Jake felt the kiss on his head moments before falling into the sleep he really needed at this point. Wheeljack turned the TV of slowly, and took a deep breath, he needed sleep too.

Leaving the room and his newly adopted son, he carefully checked the security system before leaving. "Jackie." Wheeljack turned his head to find Bulkhead standing there "We have a huge situation going down in California. Are you up for it?" He then added "Overnight though." He added.

Wheeljack nodded his head a bit. He looked over at the door, Jake had his first final the next day, but he could go for a few hours he supposed. "I can only go for the scouting portion though. Jake starts finals tomorrow, I want to be there to support him." Wheeljack explained, Bulkhead only nodded in understanding "That won't take all night will it?" He questioned.

"Nope, maybe a few hours, we'll be back in time." Bulkhead replied.

Wheeljack nodded again, he could do a few hours. He just wanted to be sure that he wouldn't not be there for it, he knew Jake was very nervous, and he didn't want to deal with seeing him upset. He just definitely hoped that he wasn't making a mistake, because in the "adjustment period" as it was called, that could be a very bad idea. He just had to be sure that he came home, unscathed and ASAP, he told himself. No big deal there.

Or at least, he hoped not.


	35. A Series of Firsts

**CHAPTER 35  
A Series of Firsts**

Jake was worried enough when Wheeljack wasn't back to drive him to school. He had felt a bit better when Ratchet had given him a ride to school, relieved him of his fears, and wished him luck. Two classes and two finals later, he finally made his way out of the school to find Bulkhead there. "Hey Bulk... Where's Dad?" Jake questioned.

The silence was all that Jake needed, he knew something was very wrong. Bulkhead opened the door, Miko already inside. Miko was surprisingly and unnervingly quiet. "There was an accident last night Jake." Jake's eyes widen "Wheeljack's in surgery right now..." He added.

Jake was dead silent, fear rising in his chest as his heart beat so hard that it was threatening to come out of his chest. The drive to base was quiet, which was actually saying something when it came to Miko. But the moment they had parked in the hangar, silence or not, Jake had lept out of Bulkhead and practically bolted for the Med Bay. "RATCHET!" Jake stopped in the doorway.

Ratchet turned his head from the unconscious Wheeljack. The mech was in bad shape, with half of his chestplate blasted apart, and several exposed wires. "Jake, please, stay back. I know you're worried, but that's a bad idea." Ratchet told him simply, Jake could hear Bumblebee moving behind him "Bee, get him out of here, now." He explained.

"Is Dad going to be okay!" Bumblebee had slowly picked him up by that point "Put me down, Bee! Put me down dammit!" Jake was struggling, being held as if someone were holding back a dog "Just tell me that he's going to be okay!"

Ratchet had closed the door by then, Jake already having broken into hysterics. **"Jake, calm down!" **Bumblebee attempted to calm his young friend down as best as he could **"It's gonna be okay, bud. It's going to be okay." **He moved and stroked the teenager's back gently with a forefinger **"Jake, it's okay, kiddo. I'm right here, I'm right here." **He cooed.

"But DAD!" Jake shrieked.

**"Hey, hey. Freaking out won't do ANY good." **Bumblebee turned Jake to look at him **"He's a tough mech, Jake. He's going to be okay." **He carefully carried the boy away as best he could **"Come on little bro, you need to let Ratchet do his work." **He was quiet for a moment, trying to keep him calm **"Come on, let's go watch TV or something." **He tried to encourage.

Jake eventually stopped his struggling, despite his obvious feeling of dread and sadness. By the time Bumblebee put him down, they were inside the Rec Room, and it was clear that Bumblebee was not leaving. Jake sat himself in the corner of the Rec Room, he didn't acknowledge anyone, even when his phone vibrated due to getting a text. Everyone, for the most part, left him alone, though he knew they wanted to help, there was nothing they could do. It seemed like days passed before Ratchet entered the Rec Room.

Jake was out of the seat he was in, and bolting to him at once. "He's going to be fine, Jake." Ratchet informed him, Jake felt his body relax slowly "But he is however, going to be recovering for the next several days. He sustained serious damage, yet nothing that cannot be fixed." He then added "Meaning I'm going to be taking care of you for a few days." He added.

"Can I see him?" Jake questioned.

"It's not exactly an easy sight, his body is still healing, Jake." Ratchet noted.

"I don't care!" Jake replied.

Ratchet nodded his head slowly, and allowed Jake to follow him. The boy felt a bit nervous, hoping that Wheeljack would be awake so that he could get reassurance that he was okay. When he walked in, the remaining damage was obvious. His face was scraped and bruised, and his arm was too. They'd been healed up by then so the damage had to have been bad before. "Hey bud." Wheeljack said weakly, smiling as best he could "Come over here." He noted.

Jake made his way over quickly, allowing Wheeljack to pull him up to the berth he laid on. "What happened?" Jake questioned.

"A fragger named Breakdown mocked me about you. Needless to say I sort of... Lost it." Wheeljack explained quietly "No one threatens my children. But unfortunately, this time the lesson didn't get to be given." He shook his head a bit "Don't worry though, bud. It was just a few wounds. I've stepped on the equivalent of a mine before and survived." He explained.

"I just though, I thought-"

Jake felt the cold metal as it moved to his chin, and pushed his head up gently. "Hey... I'm not going anywhere, alright? I'm alive and okay, see?" Jake slowly nodded his head, sighing in relief "How did finals go? I really am sorry I wasn't there. But I was cheering you on until I went into stasis lock." He explained.

"I think I did okay, I hope so anyway." Jake shrugged.

"That's good." Wheeljack grinned a little, then sighed a little "But Jake, I really need to rest, okay? I'll only be out for two days, you visit when you can." He then added, smiling "I love you bud." He added.

"Love you too."

As Jake was removed from the berth, he took a deep breath. He was definitely glad that Wheeljack was okay, that had been quite the adrenaline rush considering everything that had happened. As he slowly exited the med bay, he slowly took a look back, Wheeljack only waved, and he waved back quietly. All Jake could wonder is what being under the care of all the Wheeljack's other than Wheeljack would be like.

...

Jake was definitely having an easier time adjusting than the rest of the Autobots were. As it was, they were taking shifts for bringing him to and from school, and none of them were used to that. It had always been Wheeljack's job. Luckily that had only lasted two days before school was out for the summer. Jake was definitely looking forward to his newfound freedom, without a doubt.

With Jack and his Mom, June out of town for the first week of summer, Arcee had him that afternoon. The awkward silence between them both said it all: Neither had any idea what to say that afternoon in the rec room. "So..." Arcee finally spoke up "I hear you like movies." She added.

"Mmm, I'm a bit of a fanatic." Jake nodded.

Arcee nodded a bit, she stood up a little, stretching. "I wasn't much of a fan myself. But the kids have kinda gotten me into it. As long as there's some big explosions in it, they're fun." Jake grinned a little, and nodded a bit "You know, I don't bite. We have to get to know each other sometime." Jake looked up at Arcee "You like motorcycles?" She asked.

"You kidding me? One of my Foster Dad's owned a Ducati." Jake spoke up "Taught me all about them." He added.

Arcee nodded a bit, that was more of a start than trying to relate over movies. "Really? I once thought about making my alt mode a Ducati. But it was too bulky for my taste." Arcee put a hand on her hip "Oddly enough, it was your Mom's suggestion." Jake chuckled a bit "You think I'm kidding? Your Mother was single-handily the biggest bike enthusiast out there." She added.

"Really?" Jake asked curiously.

"You'd be surprised at how much of a tomboy she was." Arcee laughed a little "I'm pretty sure she could snap a man in two given a chance." She turned her head to Jake "So, tell me kid. What do you want to do today? Because quite frankly, sitting around like this is boring." She then added "I could go for anything else right now."

"I've never ridden on a motorcycle alone before." Jake grinned.

The laughter in Arcee's voice told Jake his answer already. "Um, yeah... I think that your Dad would kill me if you did that before you had a license, kid." Arcee shook her head "If you're on the back of me, I'm driving." Jake rolled his eyes a bit "Anything else you do for fun that won't potentially get the two of us killed?" She questioned.

"Oh come on." Jake sighed.

"This is my first time doing this. I don't want it to be my last time breathing." Arcee rolled her eyes a bit, she crossed her arms "Ever been to Vegas?" Jake shook his head, and a grin formed on Arcee's face "We can take a ride down there, I guess. There's plenty to find to do over there. You'll need a helmet though. Jack keeps a spair in the closet over there." She pointed to it.

Jake grinned, he had only seen it when he was out with Optimus a while back. But to go into town definitely could be fun, he wouldn't lie about that. "I hear they have this awesome place called the Adventure Dome. Hopefully my allowance might cover that." Jake mentioned, it was definitely something that could be fun "It's like an amusement park type of deal." He added.

"I guess, sounds better than sitting around so long as I don't get called on duty." Arcee started to head out of the rec room "Come find me at the hangar when you're ready to go." She added.

Jake grinned a bit, he definitely liked Arcee more than he thought he would. Sure, she was a little blunt, and seemingly rough around the edges, but at the very least, she was _fun_. And he'd take fun over sitting around the rec room any day.


End file.
